King of clay dethroned by Thiem

The Austrian dismissed the 11-time champion Nadal, 6-4, 6-4, to set up a Barcelona final against Daniil Medvedev.

Much anticipated semifinal was not dramatic but competitive, until the very last game when Thiem went down triple break point before sealing the final spot.

Before this clash, Nadal had a sizable 8-3 head-to-head lead over the Austrian, but Thiem had taken him out on clay all three times—notably last year, in the Madrid quarterfinals and the Rome quarterfinals in 2017. 

They last time the two faced each other was in the US Open quarterfinals, which Nadal won in a deciding fifth set tiebreaker. A very rough ride for the Spaniard. 

It going to be a second career Barcelona final for Thiem against first-time finalist Daniil Medvedev. This implies a new champion will be crowned in Barcelona. 

Nadal had won the ATP 500 title a record 11 times, not forgetting the 2017 final over Thiem.