Wawrinka Ousts Federer In French Open

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Published on June 3 2015 6:22 am
Last Updated on July 2 2015 6:24 am

PARIS -- "Stan The Man" lived up to his billing Tuesday, beating 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in straight sets to advance to the semifinals of the French Open.

Stan Wawrinka, who has that slogan embossed on the handle of his rackets, beat his Swiss Davis Cup teammate 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (4) to reach the semifinal of a Grand Slam event for the fourth time in his career.

Wawrinka was too formidable on a windy afternoon, his powerful groundstrokes cutting through gusts that topped 30 mph on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

"I played my best match in a Grand Slam tournament," the eighth-seeded Wawrinka said, quite a statement considering he won the championship at the 2014 Australian Open, "and my best match on clay."

Said Federer: "I made 30-something errors today. He, maybe, made one."

Waiting for Wawrinka in the semifinals will be Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who thrilled the partisan crowd by outlasting No. 5 Kei Nishikori in a five-set thriller, 6-1, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3.