Austrian Dominic Thiem destroyed a lacklustre and battle-weary Alexander Zverev 6-4 6-2 6-1 to reach the French Open semi-finals for the third consecutive year.
Claycourt specialist Thiem’s relentless accuracy from the baseline proved too much for second seed Zverev on Tuesday who looked jaded after a gruelling path to his first grand slam quarter-final.
After an even start full of high quality ball-striking, Thiem broke serve at 3-3 and quickly got on top, stretching his opponent all over Court Philippe Chatrier.
Zverev, 21, needed his left thigh strapped in the second set and looked disconsolate as Thiem widened his advantage with a clinical display of hitting.
Thiem, seeded seventh, needed only 15 minutes to go 4-0 up in the third with Zverev barely running for wide balls.
Zverev began to let rip, snatching one game back, but the outcome was inevitable and Thiem put him out of his misery with a routine backhand winner into a wide-open court.
Zverev admitted his Roland Garros exertions had finally caught up with him having fought through three consecutive five-setters and spent almost two and a half hours longer on court than Thiem.
“How close was I to pulling out? I thought about it. I definitely thought about it,” said Zverev.
“But, you know, I didn’t want to pull out for the first time of my career in a grand slam quarter-final.
“I knew I wasn’t going to win the match. There was no way for me. I mean, I could barely move. I couldn’t serve. I couldn’t really do anything.
“But I still wanted to finish the match and kind of give the credit to Dominic. He deserves to be in the semi-finals. End on a loss and not on a retirement.
“I actually felt good today. Waking up in the morning, I actually felt ‘OK I can play five sets again’. I thought it was going to be a tough, physical match, but unfortunately my body didn’t hold up.”
For Thiem, a third consecutive Paris semi-final beckons.
“It was tough for him (Zverev) today, he’s one of the fittest guys on tour,” he said. “It’s tough to play three five-setters in a row.
“I hope that we have many more encounters against each other at this stage or even later in a grand slam.”
Thiem will face either former champion Novak Djokovic or unseeded Italian Marco Cecchinato in the last four.