Paris, June 3 (IANS) Austria's Dominic Thiem on Sunday defeated Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-2, 6-0, 5-7, 6-4 to reach his third consecutive French Open quarterfinals, setting up a duel with Germany's Alexander Zverev.
The Austrian seventh-seed needed two hours and 28 minutes to eliminate 19th-seeded Nishikori, a finalist at the Monte-Carlo Masters in April, reports Efe.
"It's something very special to serve for the French Open quarters," the Austrian player said after clinching his game-winning point.
Although Thiem, a semi-finalist in the last two editions, lost his concentration at the end of the third set, he returned to top form in the fourth set to win the tennis match.
"At the end, I was nervous," Thiem admitted.
The Austrian is set to face second-seeded Zverev, who knocked out Karen Khachanov of Russia 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 in a marathon match that lasted three hours and 29 minutes.
