Dominic Thiem played some of his best tennis powering into his fourth straight Roland Garros semifinal.
The 2018 Roland Garros runner-up knows his best will need to get better if he's to break through and win his first Grand Slam.
Watch: Mac, Whoopi Back Serena in RG Tiff with Thiem
For the fourth-seeded Thiem did not face a break point crushing Karen Khachanov, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2, and equaling Thomas Muster's record for most major semifinals (4) by an Austrian man or woman.
The Barcelona champion has little time to celebrate. Thiem will face world No. 1 Novak Djokovic for a return to the Roland Garros final.
Continuing his quest to capture his fourth consecutive Slam and complete his second Novak Slam, Djokovic defeated Alexander Zverev, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2, on Court Philippe Chatrier.
The top-seeded Serbian rides a 26-major match winning streak into tomorrow's semifinal.
Thiem's task is "huge": he must beat 15-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic just to reach a final against either 11-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal or 20-time Grand Slam king Roger Federer.
"It's incredibly difficult to win a Grand Slam," Thiem said. "Because especially for us players who didn't have one yet, because if everything goes quite normal, we have to beat two players with 15 or more Grand Slams. So I think everybody can imagine how difficult this is.
"But I will step on the court tomorrow, try everything, of course, give everything. I hope it's going to be positive in the end, but the challenge is huge. Novak is in very good shape again, probably playing his best tennis of his life. I'm in the semifinals with maybe the three best players of all time, so everybody can see how tough the way it is for me."
Photo credit: Manuel Queimadelos — at Barcelona Open BancSabadell – Trofeo Conde de Godo.