Stanislas Wawrinka trumped fellow Swiss Roger Federer at a grand slam for the first time with a 6-4 6-3 7-6 victory in the French Open quarter-finals yesterday.
Forever in the shadow of his more celebrated compatriot, Wawrinka finally got the better of Federer at a major on his fifth attempt to set up a semi-final date with home favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who beat Japan’s Kei Nishikori in five sets – 6-1 6-4 4-6 3-6 6-3.
Second seed Federer’s normally smooth racket rhythm lost all of its usual precision as gusting winds tore through Court Suzanne Lenglen.
“I was not going to leave the French Open without having tried everything out there,” Federer, 33, said.
“Stan was clutch on the big points and really didn’t give me much, so it was a credit to him for playing so well today.”
Federer was broken in the third game of the first set, in the seventh game of the second set and when a couple of close calls went against him in the third set tiebreak, the 2009 French Open champion’s hopes of adding to his haul of 17 grand slam trophies were over.
A forehand volley on his second match point propelled Wawrinka to his first semi-final at the claycourt major.
“I played my best match in a Grand Slam tournament,” the eighth-seeded Wawrinka said after the match, quite a statement considering he won the championship at the 2014 Australian Open, “and my best match on clay.”
Earlier in the afternoon, former champion Ana Ivanovic was at her brilliant, aggressive best as the seventh seed swept aside Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 6-3 6-2 to storm into the semi-finals of the women’s tournament.
The Serb, who lifted the Suzanne Lenglen Cup in 2008, shrugged off the windy conditions to set up a meeting with Czech Lucie Safarova who beat Garbine Muguruza, of Spain, 7-6 6-3.
Ivanovic took control early on and never allowed her 19th-seeded opponent into the contest on Court Philippe Chatrier.
She put an end to a one-sided encounter on her third match point with a forehand passing shot to reach the last four of a grand slam for the first time since 2008.
“I don’t know if I should feel old or happy,” the 27-year-old said.
“The only thing I could do was stay calm. The ball was going all over the place.”
Her powerful forehand earned Ivanovic the first break as she went 2-0 up only for the Serb, under the watchful eye of her boyfriend, Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, to drop serve in the following game. She then broke again for 3-1.
The sun crept through and the spectators came back from their late lunch to watch Ivanovic clinch the opener by holding serve to love.
Ball girls and boys wiped their teary eyes as strong winds sent the red dirt swirling at the change of ends before Ivanovic resumed her domination.
She stole Svitolina’s serve in the first game and saw off two break points en route to holding for 2-0.
Ivanovic broke again for 5-2 and finished it off on her serve.
A day after knocking out 2014 champion Maria Sharapova, the 13th seed Safarova weathered the powerful groundstrokes of Muguruza to reach the last four in Paris for the first time.
A blazing backhand crosscourt winner from Safarova ended a high-quality first set and she wrapped up victory with a breathtaking backhand down the line winner.
Safarova is bidding to become the first left-hander to win the claycourt major since Monica Seles in 1992.