Tennis: Razor-sharp Thiem subdues Khachanov to reach semi-final

Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 6, 2019. Austria's Dominic Thiem celebrates after his quarterfinal match against Russia's Karen Kachanov. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

PARIS (Reuters) - Dominic Thiem produced a claycourt masterclass to overwhelm Russian Karen Khachanov 6-2 6-4 6-2 and reach the semi-finals of the French Open for the fourth year in succession on Thursday.

The Austrian fourth seed struggled early in the tournament but has warmed to the task and was far too solid for the 23-year-old Khachanov, who was unable to replicate the tennis he produced to beat Juan Martin del Potro in the previous round.

Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 6, 2019. Austria's Dominic Thiem and Russia's Karen Kachanov great each other after their quarterfinal match. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

Thiem, runner-up to Rafael Nadal last year, hardly put a foot wrong throughout a one-sided contest as he set up a clash with either top seed Novak Djokovic or Alexander Zverev.

Khachanov had won their only previous meeting, also in Paris but on an indoor hardcourt. However, Thiem on clay is an entirely different proposition and from the moment Khachanov struggled to hold serve in the opening game his prospects looked bleak.

The razor-sharp Thiem broke serve in the third game and never relinquished control, offering Khachanov not even a sniff of a break point throughout a clinical display.

Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 6, 2019. Austria's Dominic Thiem's girlfriend Kristina Mladenovic reacts during his quarterfinal match against Russia's Karen Kachanov. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by David Goodman)

Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 6, 2019. Russia's Karen Kachanov in action during his quarterfinal match against Austria's Dominic Thiem. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 6, 2019. Russia's Karen Kachanov reacts during his quarterfinal match against Austria's Dominic Thiem. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 6, 2019. Austria's Dominic Thiem in action during his quarterfinal match against Russia's Karen Kachanov. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 6, 2019. Russia's Karen Kachanov in action during his quarterfinal match against Austria's Dominic Thiem. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 6, 2019. Austria's Dominic Thiem in action during his quarterfinal match against Russia's Karen Kachanov. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler