Don't look now but third seed Stan Wawrinka appears to be rounding into championship form again at Roland Garros. The 2015 titlist withstood Gael Monfils' best defensive tennis on Monday, combating the Frenchman's athletic ability with a barrage of power to advance 7-5, 7-6(7), 6-2 in two hours and 46 minutes. Wawrinka moves into his third consecutive Roland Garros quarter-final and his fourth overall. The 32-year-old Swiss also continued his dominance against Frenchmen at their home Grand Slam. He has won nine of his 10 match-ups against Frenchmen at Roland Garros. “It was a really close two sets. I think was a tough match, tough conditions, quite windy, a lot of tension, because we know each other so well. So...
Kei Nishikori advanced to his eighth Grand Slam championship quarter-final on Monday when he defeated Fernando Verdasco 0-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 at Roland Garros in two hours and 35 minutes. Eighth seed Nishikori will now challenge World No. 1 Andy Murray, who reached last year’s final. Murray leads 8-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series and won their lone clay-court clash at the 2015 Mutua Madrid Open. "We have played so many times," said Nishikori. "He's a great player, a very smart tennis player. It's never easy, and I think this week he's been playing well. He's hitting great balls. So I'm sure it's going be tough one, but I will try to enjoy it and try to win the...
World No. 1 Andy Murray recorded the 650th match win of his career on Monday when he booked his spot in the Roland Garros quarter-finals for the seventh time. Murray served with great fluency to end the run of 21-year-old #NextGenATP Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and four minutes. It was his 20th match win of the season. "I think today was probably the best I have played overall," said Murray. "It was difficult conditions. It was pretty windy out there and wasn't easy. Each match I feel like I played better. I have hit the ball cleaner and started to see the right shots at the right moments. I've come a long way the past 10...
Watch highlights of Kei Nishikori beating Fernando Verdasco during the fourth round of Roland Garros on Monday. Peter Staples / ATP World Tour photo. Video courtesy Roland Garros.