Before each day's play begins in Paris, we'll preview must-see matches that you'll find on Tennis Channel Plus. Tennis Channel Plus features up to 10 courts of live action from Roland Garros beginning Sunday, May 27 at 5:00am ET. Catch up and watch all your favorite stars anytime, on-demand, with Tennis Channel Plus.
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Thiem will be playing his third straight semifinal at Roland Garros, but this one will not be like the others in one very significant way: his opponent. For that, Thiem will surely be grateful, at least to start. Two years ago, he was blown out by Novak Djokovic. Last year, he was blown out by Rafael Nadal. This year, instead of a player who has won double-digit Grand Slam titles, he’ll face one who hadn’t won a Grand Slam match before last week.
Is Cecchinato’s upset win over Djokovic in the quarterfinals exactly what Thiem, who seemed to have hit a plateau over the last 12 months, needed to break through to the next level? These are the moments of unexpected good fortune that can propel a player’s career upward—provided he or she can take advantage of them. Thiem should be able to take advantage here. He’s coming off a straight-set win over the No. 2 seed, Alexander Zverev, and he’s ranked 64 spots ahead of Cecchinato.
Can anything keep Thiem from his first major final this time? He won his only ATP meeting with Cecchinato, on hard courts in 2014, though the Italian beat Thiem on clay at a Futures event in Italy in 2013. Cecchinato will have nothing to lose here, and he proved in his last match how well he can play in that situation. Thiem, by contrast, will feel the pressure of being the favorite; a loss would be a bitter disappointment. But he seems to be playing too well to let that happen. Winner: Thiem
Daily Serve—previewing men's semifinal Friday at Roland Garros