Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images

The men's semifinals at the 2017 French Open came within one match of featuring the tournament's top four seeds. Rising star Dominic Thiem played the role of spoiler at Roland Garros, however, upsetting Novak Djokovic, the defending champion, in the quarterfinals.

Thiem is joined by nine-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal, 2015 tournament winner Stan Wawrinka and top-seeded Andy Murray in Friday's penultimate round. The victors will face off Sunday for the season's second Grand Slam title.

Let's check out all of the important details for the semifinals. The official order of play, which will determine where to watch each of the matches, will be announced Thursday. The key info is followed by a preview and prediction for both matchups.

Viewing Information

Where: Stade Roland Garros in Paris

When: Friday, June 9 at 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. ET

Match 1 TV: Tennis Channel

Match 2 TV: NBC (ET) and NBCSN (other time zones)

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live

Semifinal Preview

(4) Rafael Nadal vs. (6) Dominic Thiem

The difference a year can make is amazing. Nadal was forced to retire from the 2016 French Open before the third round due to a wrist injury. When combined with his recurring knee problems, it was fair to raise questions about his status as a top contender moving forward.

Now those discussions seem crazy. He's back to his dominant self on clay, sweeping through the first five matches without being seriously challenged. And it's hard to consider him anything other than the prohibitive favorite at this stage, despite the star-studded semifinal group.

Thiem poses a legitimate threat, though. The 23-year-old Austrian handed the Spanish fan favorite his only loss on clay so far this year at the Italian Open in Rome last month.

"I'm playing well, I'm moving ahead," Nadal said, per the ATP World Tour. "Thiem is a tough player. I hope that I won't lose. I won in Barcelona and Madrid, but I lost to him in Rome. ... If I play well, I hope that I will be able to book my spot in the final."

Meanwhile, it's the second consecutive semifinal appearance at Roland Garros for Thiem, who's never advanced beyond the fourth round at the other majors. He's hoping for a better result than last year, when Djokovic took him out in straight sets.

The seventh-ranked player in the world is learning just how difficult it can be to win one of the four most coveted titles in tennis. Kamakshi Tandon of tennis.com passed along the high-upside player's comments about the current state of the sport.

"It's a joke, how tough it is to win a Slam," Thiem said. "Obviously now I beat Novak, but on Friday it is Nadal—the toughest opponent ever here in Roland Garros. Then, in the finals, there is another top star. That's why it's a Slam, it is because it's such a tough achievement."

Although the mountaintop can seem light years away at times, Thiem can fall back on the fact he's been nearly as impressive as Nadal en route to the semis.

The International Tennis Federation provided further details about the success of both players:

It would come as a surprise if Thiem doesn't eventually win a Grand Slam title. That said, beating an in-form Nadal at the French Open is one of the toughest tasks in tennis history. He'll put up a fight, but he's not on that level quite yet.

Prediction: Nadal in four sets

(1) Andy Murray vs. (3) Stan Wawrinka

Murray and Wawrinka faced off in the same round of last year's French Open, and the British star scored a pretty routine four-set triumph. The rematch should develop into a much harder-fought clash, regardless of which player picks up the win.

Wawrinka joined Nadal and Thiem as contenders to reach the semifinals without dropping a set. It's even more impressive when you consider he faced a tough draw that included meetings with Alexandr Dolgopolov, Fabio Fognini, Gael Monfils and Marin Cilic.

So it's no shock he was feeling good about his game right now following his quarterfinal victory over Cilic on Wednesday, as noted by the AFP.

"It was perfect today, I'm very satisfied," Wawrinka said. "I played well, was very solid and took my opportunities."

The journey has been a little tougher for Murray, who's won 10 of the previous 17 meetings with his Swiss counterpart. He's been pushed to four sets in three of his first five wins. He dropped the first set to both Martin Klizan and Kei Nishikori before storming back to win.

ITV Sport provided his reaction to edging Nishikori in the quarters:

Ultimately, between Murray's defensive ability and the way Wawrinka has been attacking throughout the tournament, especially with his unmatched backhand, all signs point to a long battle Friday.

That's where those extra sets could come back to haunt the top seed, particularly if the match ends up going deep into the fifth set.

Prediction: Wawrinka in five sets