Retiring Dominic Thiem fails to qualify for French Open

May 22 (UPI) -- Ott Virtanen beat Dominic Thiem in straight sets in qualifiers for the 2024 French Open, ending his final run at the clay court Grand Slam on Wednesday in Paris. Thiem announced end-of-year retirement plans May 10.

His Greek counterpart totaled seven aces, converted 5 of 11 break points and fired 34 winners in the 6-2, 7-5 triumph in the second round of qualifiers. The No. 156 player in the ATP Tour singles rankings needed 1 hour, 43 minutes to dispatch of his No. 131 foe.

Thiem, 30, will retire as a two-time French Open singles finalist, reaching the finale in 2018 and 2019.

"I slowly built up a great relationship with the tournament and a great relationship with all the fans," Thiem told the crowd after Wednesday's match. "I had so many great results, so many great memories and experiences here on those courts.

"It's the Grand Slam with my best results, so I really enjoyed every single year of it. Thank you so much for all of the memories."

Thiem earned his lone Grand Slam title at the 2020 U.S. Open. He also was a finalist at the 2020 Australian Open. He never advanced past the fourth round of Wimbledon.

The Austrian achieved a career-high No. 3 singles ranking in 2020, and has 17 career singles titles. Thiem said earlier this month that his retirement was prompted by ongoing wrist issues.

Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo also presented Thiem with a keepsake, which featured the layers of the stone, dirt and clay composition of the French Open's world-renowned courts.

"It was such a great farewell from Roland-Garros so thank you to everyone who came who gave me such a great support, such a great atmosphere," Thiem said.

Virtanen will now face Italian Giulio Zeppieri in the final qualifier for a spot in the main draw of the 2024 French Open. The draw will be held Thursday at Roland Garros. Main draw play will start Sunday in Paris.