Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka will be facing each other for the 18th time in their careers and for the second straight year in the French Open semifinals when they meet again on Friday.
Murray is leading the head-to-head series 10-7 after beating Wawrinka twice in 2016, including at Roland Garros via a 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 decision. The top-ranked Scot also cruised 6-4, 6-2 at the World Tour Finals en route to the title there and the year-end No. 1 ranking.
This season has been a considerably different story for Murray, but he remains comfortably atop the rankings thanks in part to Novak Djokovic’s slump. Although the three-time Grand Slam champion is a mediocre 21-7 in 2017, he is picking up the pace this fortnight. Murray booked a spot in the semis for the fifth time in his last six appearances with wins over Andrey Kuznetsov, Martin Klizan, Juan Martin Del Potro, Karen Khachanov, and Kei Nishikori.
“As you get through the matches, you gain in confidence,” the No. 1 seed explained after beating Nishikori. “I didn’t feel like I played great tennis today. It’s a huge step in the right direction for me. Anyone can win matches when they are playing well; it’s winning when you’re not playing your best (that) is more impressive. So I’m happy about that.”
“I think he’s struggling a little bit since the beginning of the year,” Wawrinka said of Murray, “but he’s in the semifinal. So a champion like him, when they find a way to win matches, he’s playing better and better. So I expect him to play his best tennis…. It’s going to be interesting match, for sure. Last year I was playing really well. I was confident. He was playing better than me I remember on that court. In the semifinal, he was really aggressive in his game. He was pushing me all the time, so (it) was tough for me to find any solution last year.
“But again, it’s a different year.”
Wawrinka has what Murray still lacks–a Coupe des Mousquetaires. The third-ranked Swiss triumphed at this tournament in 2015 and made a return trip to the semis last spring before falling to Murray. Wawrinka has not been at his absolute best in 2017, but he is heating up at just the right time. His nine-match winning streak includes a title in Geneva and victories this fortnight over Jozef Kovalik, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Fabio Fognini, Gael Monfils, and Marin Cilic. Like Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem on the other side of the draw, Wawrinka has not dropped a single set.
It is no surprise that Murray got away with rather pedestrian performances against Nishikori and in his first two matches. That will not cut it against Wawrinka, who always plays better in majors than he does at other events and is 17-1 in his last 18 matches at Roland Garros.
Pick: Wawrinka in 4
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Are we there yet?
Will this match ever end?
Stan now has 2 breaks so there is hope that it won’t be a marathon..
This may end quickly now if Murray doesn’t have anything left.
Let’s go Andy, come on! Get fired up before it’s too late.
This could have ended in 3 sets if Stan didn’t keep handing his breaks back.
NO… bagel’s suck in the 5th!
I just think Andy is all used up. Nothing left.
How long will there be between this match ending and the next one starting 15-20 minutes?
I think Murray is done, he’s spending too much energy running and retrieving.
I thought Stan looked the more tired of the two in the third set, but it ends up he’s the fitter of the two. Stan about to bagel Murray in this final set!
It’s a shame that it ends this way after four great sets of tennis. But as it is Rafa’s match is gettIng a very late start.
The classless and boorish French suck.
Carole Bouchard @carole_bouchard
A bit rough now for Andy… Tried his hardest out there for 4 hours and they’re still cheering on him missing or getting beaten.
How do they not start the semis before 12:45 PM?
#OnlyInParis
It wouldn’t be such a bad decision…if the stadium actually had a roof and lights so that you could play at night.
At least Andy won’t get bageled.
So you’re agreeing with me.
Yes, and just making the related point that they need to update their arenas so that they can actually play night matches and not get interrupted by bad light.
RG actually is working on updating arenas but it’s moving at something slower than a snail’s pace.
Ah okay, thanks for the info.
Bagel avoided!
Good for Andy for staying in there and trying right to the end.
That’s it! Stan wins.
Stanimal indeed! He is going to be in another GS final :O
Great winner to finish it from Stan. He looked almost shot earlier in that match, but came back and somehow outlasted Muzz.
So he has given beatdowns to Murray, Federer and Djoko at the FO. Will Rafa be next? Doh!
What a BHDTL winner to finish the match!
With this win, Stan (and Rafa) have pushed Djoko out of top three, for the first time since 2009!
Sad for Andy.
Don’t worry Murray will win Wimbledon
I thought that Andy would win when he went up two sets to one. But this is a good result for him. He can move ahead to Wimbledon now. He took it to the limit and just ran out of steam.
I predict Wawrinka will go into God mode in the final after this
If there is one player against whom even god mode may not be enough, it is Rafa!
Personally, I pray that we get a God-Mode Stan vs. God-Mode Rafa in the final! Their would be a revenge factor for Rafa for AO 2014, as well as vindication factor for Stan knowing that he wasn’t playing a healthy Rafa in AO 2014. I honestly feel like they both deserve another shot at each other in a slam final. And where better than RG, where they both have their favorite surface? I really do hope we that final…
*There
*GET that final… I swear I’m not Donald Trump…
Murray vs Stan is becoming a rivalry now, Murray is 10-8 vs Stan now; and they’re 3-3 in slams.
87 winners for Stan and only 77 UE!
Wonderful performance!
VR, as a big Rafa fan, would you have preferred that Rafa’s potential final opponent to be Stan or Andy? I meant to ask before the semis started, but I forgot.
Would have preferred Murray but if Rafa plays really well today, I am confident he will handle Stan.
Thiem will definitely be good practice for facing Stan! Their games are pretty similar. Both heavy hitters. Thiem actually hits his ground strokes a couple mph faster than Stan’s. On the flip side, Stan is obviously much more experienced in big slam finals and best-of-five battles. But just in terms of style of play, I think they are pretty similar, not only in their backhands. They showed who has the hardest forehands in the tournament so far, and Thiem has a considerably harder forehand than everyone else. Stan was high on the list, maybe even #2 if I recall correctly. Rafa was on there, too, maybe #4. One of the coolest things about it was that Ostapenko was really high in the list! I actually haven’t even seen her play yet, but I hear she hits harder than almost anyone on WTA…
That’s alright Andy!..now go and prepare yourself for wimby!!
Yes, Andy did well to get to the semis and went the distance. Now he can get ready for Wimby!
Hope Rafa wins
They have to get the match started. The crowd has to leave and then the crowd for the second match has to get in.