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 it was important to stay there, to stay strong with myself, and I'm happy to get through this match,” Wawrinka said. “It was a really good crowd today. I think they were really fair on the court. I think the atmosphere was great to play, so I'm happy with everything.”
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He will next face Croatian Marin Cilic, who advanced to the last eight when South African Kevin Anderson retired down 6-3, 3-0 because of an injury to his left hamstring. “It hurts just to retire. I would like to just finish the match,” Anderson said. “But with the grass just around the corner, I have to look after my body, and I've been through quite a bit. So hopefully right now I'll be able to recover rapidly.”
Cilic becomes the first Croatian man to reach the Roland Garros quarter-finals since Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic in 2006. The 2014 US Open champion has now reached at least the quarter-finals at all four Grand Slam championships.
“Apart from the US Open in '14, I'm definitely feeling the best on the court. Even at that tournament, the US Open, I didn't go through the draw as comfortably as here,” Cilic said. “With the form I'm playing, I just feel great on the court. It's such a big pleasure for me to see that I have managed to continue with that good form through the tournament.”
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Cilic, however, has beaten Wawrinka only twice. The Swiss leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 11-2 and has won their past seven contests. “With Stan it's extremely difficult on any surface. He has won a lot of matches in a row against me,” Cilic said. “I have to still be focused on myself to do my own thing.”
Monfils hardly made it easy for Wawrinka during their fourth-round match. The Frenchman, who was trying to reach his fifth Roland Garros quarter-final, had break points during Wawrinka's first three service games and broke to lead 3-2.
But Wawrinka broke back and eventually found his strokes, holding for a 6-5 lead. Monfils, serving to stay in the set, double faulted on set point and Wawrinka clinched the opener. The Swiss converted both of his break points and erased seven of the eight he faced during the first set.
In the second set, Monfils persisted in trying to wear Wawrinka down from the baseline. After exchanging early breaks, they stayed on serve until the tie-break, where Monfils erased three set points to tie it at 6/6.
The Frenchman, however, could not come through in the second set, and Wawrinka took it after 72 minutes. He cruised in the third set and saved 11 of 13 break points for the match.
“I think he was able to take all the opportunities he had, especially at key moments in the match. He had a lot of break balls, and he was able to pick up these points,” Monfils said. “I don't like to lose, especially not at Roland Garros. I had many opportunities, and it's unfortunate. I wasn't able to seize these opportunities. So of course I am disappointed.”
Go inside the tournament at RolandGarros.com.