Verdasco ousts defending champ Thiem in Rio Open quarters

RIO DE JANEIRO - Top-seeded defending champion Dominic Thiem of Austria tumbled out of the Rio Open on Friday, falling 6-4, 6-0 to Spain's Fernando Verdasco in the quarterfinals of the clay-court event.

Thiem won the Argentina Open on Sunday for his ninth career title.

Verdasco will play fifth-seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy or Alijaz Bedene of Slovenia.

In the other semifinal at Jockey Club Brasileiro, sixth-seeded Diego Schwartzman of Argentina will face Chile's Nicolas Jarry. Schwartzman beat France's Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-4, and Jarry topped Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas 7-5, 6-3.