Rafael Nadal kept his iron grip on the Coupe des Mousquetaires by beating Dominic Thiem in four sets to win a 12th French Open title. Thiem was trying to do what only Stan Wawrinka has managed by beating Djokovic and Nadal at the same slam, and Wawrinka did not do it back-to-back. Thiem managed to take a set off Nadal but soon faded (Michel Euler/AP)Thiem knows how it feels to beat Nadal on clay, having done so in each of the last four seasons, but only in best-of-three-set matches. But in the sixth game, two unexpected unforced errors from Nadal showed that even the best are not immune to nerves. A poor opening game of the third set from Thiem set the tone, and in no time the 25-year-old was 4-0 down having won just a single point.

Source: Irish Examiner June 09, 2019 16:30 UTC