French Open News: Diego Schwartzman Beats Dominic Thiem To Attain Grand Slam Milestone

Argentine Diego Schwartzman defeated reigning U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem in their Roland Garros quarter-final bout, 7-6(1), 5-7, 6-7(6), 7-6(5), 6-2. Winning the five-set thriller propels Schwartzman to his first Grand Slam semi-final appearance.

“In the second set [and] the third set, I had a lot of opportunities, also easy opportunities,” said Schwartzman, ATP Tour reported.

“That's why I was really upset, really angry with myself at that time… when I was close to winning in those sets. I couldn't do it,” the world no. 14 added.

It was a back and forth affair between the two players as Thiem showed his championship experience on the court. The two-time French Open finalist displayed a wide range of his elite offense and had Schwartzman thinking he was going to lose.

“It was a tough situation because, in the fourth [set], he started playing so well. I made the comeback, serving at 5-4, 40/0. He played three unreal points, amazing points because he's one of the best and he can do it. At that time I was thinking, ‘Okay, c'mon, today it's not going to happen,’” Schwartzman continued.

With Thiem showing what he’s capable of, Schwartzman was able to answer back with a variety of his skills on the court.

“I had a lot of opportunities — easy, tough ones, hard [ones]. Every single opportunity was different. I didn't take them… I played an amazing tiebreak in the fourth. In the fifth, I keep doing the same thing, being solid. At the end, I think [I] physically finished better than him,” the Buenos Aires resident reflected.

Schwartzman also said that he had to mix it up on the court in order to have an upper hand against a surging Thiem.

“Being aggressive when I have the chance, having good defenses when I have to do it. Today I think was different game. I went to the net many times because Dominic was hitting a lot of slice. When I had the opportunity to go to the net against that slice, it's a good position for me,” the 10-year pro concluded.

The next match for Schwartzman is against the 12-time French Open winner Rafael Nadal on Friday.