Thiem facing same old dilemma as usual suspects block his path

Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 6, 2019. Austria's Dominic Thiem in action during his quarterfinal match against Russia's Karen Kachanov. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

PARIS (Reuters) - Austrian claycourt specialist Dominic Thiem has done the 'easy' part by reaching the French Open semi-final for the fourth straight year -- now for the hard bit.

The fourth seed has looked increasingly assured after a sluggish start to the tournament and crushed the hopes of Russian Karen Khachanov in ruthless fashion on Thursday.