French Open: Novak Djokovic closes in on career Slam

Britain’s Andy Murray serves to Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka in their semi-final at Roland Garros in Paris on Friday. Murray won 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. (Photo: AFP)

Novak Djokovic reached his fourth French Open final with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 demolition of Austria’s Dominic Thiem on Friday to move one match closer to a career Grand Slam.

The world no. 1 will tackle Andy Murray, who ended Stan Wawrinka’s reign as the champion, in Sunday’s title match in what will be the Serb’s 20th Grand Slam final.

The second seed Murray reached the title match in Paris for the first time with a comprehensive 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 semi-final win over the Swiss title-holder who was on a 12-match winning streak in the tournament.

Meanwhile, it will be Djokovic’s sixth successive Grand Slam championship match as he looks to add a first Roland Garros crown to his collection of 11 majors.

Victory on Sunday will also make him just the eighth man to complete the career Grand Slam.

“The atmosphere was fantastic. It’s the first time I have played a semi-final on the Suzanne Lenglen court,” said the top seed, moved out to the secondary arena as organisers played catch-up in a rain-ruined schedule.

“I played the best tennis of the tournament so far. I am now in the situation where I always dream of being each season, in the final of Roland Garros.”

Djokovic sprinted out to a 3-0 lead in the opener on the back of a break in the second game against 13th-seeded Thiem.

A double fault by the young Austrian opened the door for Djokovic to take the first set in the eighth game.

Thiem, who possesses a picture-perfect one-handed backhand, was undone by 20 unforced errors to just five by the world number one.

Djokovic was just as untouchable in the second set despite playing for a fourth successive day as the slightly faster conditions played into his hands.

Breaks for the Serb came in the fourth and sixth games and the set was wrapped up in just 25 minutes.

Thiem, playing in his first Grand Slam semi-final, had taken just nine points off the Djokovic serve at that stage.

Replay of 2015 wimbledon final Serena Williams will play Garbine Muguruza in the women’s final on Satu-rday in a replay of last year’s Wimbledon title match.

Williams won that in straight sets for her 21st Grand Slam title, but Muguruza, at 22, 12 years younger than the American, has improved further since then.

The top seed and defending champion kept alive her hopes of a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title against unseeded Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens.

But her form was at best patchy as she laboured to a 7-6 (9/7), 6-4 semi-final win.

The fourth seeded Muguruza, meanwhile, underlined her fine form with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Australia’s Samantha Stosur to reach a Grand Slam final for just the second time.

“The first set was not simple, but she was playing so well,” Williams said of Bertens. “I need to keep my calm for the final and hope the fans will be with me.”

Meanwhile, Muguruza, who is the first Spanish woman in 16 years to reach the French Open final, has had it easier in the other half of the draw.

She was in command against 32-year-old Stosur, a former US Open champion, from the start but had difficulty putting away the match from 5-2 up in the second.