Fourth seed Stan Wawrinka remains on course to add to his 2014 Australian Open title by cruising past No. 12 seed and 2008 finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-3 in two hours and 14 minutes on Tuesday. It was the 250th hard-court match win of his career.
“It’s not easy to play against him,” said Wawrinka, during an on-court interview. “He’s a strong player. I think conditions were quite fast today [and] it was a bit windy. So not easy to control. I started to move a bit better, to be a bit more aggressive from the first shot and I think that’s made the difference.”
The Swiss will next play his Swiss compatriot Roger Federer, the No. 17 seed and four-time former champion, in the semi-finals.
“It's going to be a great match, for sure,” said Wawrinka. “Last time, I think, I got killed in US Open [in 2015, losing 6-4, 6-3, 6-1]. “He was playing way better than me, moving really well, really aggressive on the court. So it's going to be interesting match. He's playing so well since the beginning of the tournament… It's great to see him back at that level.
“When I step on the court, it doesn't matter who I play, I know what I have to do if I want to win. Against Roger, it's always special, because he's so good. He's the best player of all time. He has an answer for everything. But I managed to beat him in a Grand Slam [2015 Roland Garros quarter-finals], so we'll see.”
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Wawrinka came through a tight first set, but it was Tsonga who clinched the first service break after 80 minutes for a 4-3 lead in the second set. But Wawrinka broke back immediately to love, capitalising on forehand errors. It was the start of a six-game run for the Swiss, who saved one break point at 4-2 in the third set. The 31 year old advanced to his eighth Grand Slam championship semi-final when Tsonga pushed a lob long. He is now 5-3 lifetime against the Frenchmen.
“I'm disappointed,” said Tsonga. “I wish I could have played a better match. I was not able to beat him today, because I was not enough good. That was the difference. He was a little bit better than me.
”It’s really a promising [start for me],” said Tsonga, when asked about his form at the tournament. “It's good for me to play a quarter-final. After what I did at the end of last year, it's still on the same level. But if I want to do better… Of course, I wish I could win today. I hope I will continue to learn for the next time.”