Top-seeded Rafael Nadal will take on seventh-seeded Dominic Thiem in the 2018 French Open men’s singles final at 8 a.m. CT Sunday. It’s the first time that Thiem has ever reached the final of a major tournament and he’s going to have a huge challenge ahead of him.
There hasn’t been a more sure bet in men’s tennis than the clay court dominance of Nadal over the past 13 years. He’s won a record-setting 10 titles on the clay at Roland Garros and often finished off his final opponents in straight sets.
Nadal didn’t have many issues making his way to this year’s final. He won four of his five matches in straight sets, including a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 victory over fifth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro in the semifinals. Diego Schwartzman, the 11th seed, was the only one to win a set off him.
Thiem needed four sets to get past Matteo Berrettini and 19th-seeded Kei Nishikori, but impressively rolled past second-seeded Alexander Zverev, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1, in the quarterfinals. He beat Marco Cecchinato in the semifinals.
Nadal has been the best clay court player in the world for over a decade, but Thiem is one of the top young talents in tennis. This will be an exciting match to watch Sunday morning.
2018 French Open final, Nadal vs. Thiem
Time: 8 a.m. CT
TV: NBC
Live stream: NBC Sports Live
