Stanislas Wawrinka has glided his way, much like his more illustrious compatriot, into the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2015, with Richard Gasquet now standing in his way and a possible mouth-watering semifinal against Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.
On his best day, Gasquet Is as good as any player on the circuit, such is the Frenchman's talent, and if he finds that touch on Wednesday, then we could be in for a Wimbledon quarterfinal classic.
Wawrinka was pushed to the limit in the first couple of sets by David Goffin in the fourth round, with the Swiss not quite finding his range with his groundstrokes often enough – there were quite a few unforced errors, including plenty off his trademark backhand -- but he fought through a couple of tie-breakers, before prevailing in three sets.
"It was tough one," Wawrinka said after his 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 victory over the Belgian. "Really happy with the victory, especially in three sets. I wasn't moving great. I was a little bit soft in general. But I'm happy to get through. It's an important victory for me."
Having won the French Open in stunning style a few weeks back, Wawrinka is still on course for a clay-grass double, and victory over Gasquet will be another important step towards that goal.
"It's been good so far," Wawrinka added. "I always enjoy playing on grass. One more week this year, so it's really helpful for me. Had two weeks before coming here.
"It's been great, for sure. It's faster. You cannot slide. You have to stay on the line a little bit more. You can be more aggressive. So far I'm enjoying playing on grass."
Gasquet has also enjoyed himself at Wimbledon so far, with his latest win, in the fourth round, coming against the talented Nick Kyrgios. The 7-5, 6-1, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (8-6) victory came in a manner in which you normally don't associate Gasquet – indeed he is sometimes criticised for not showing enough fight in close matches – and that shows just how much the Frenchman wants to go deep at Wimbledon this year.
"I beat [Grigor] Dimitrov third round on Centre Court, winning against Nick, when last year I lost [in the fourth round]," Gasquet said. "I'm very happy to be back in quarterfinals.
"I lost many times in a Grand Slam in a fourth round. It's very good for me to be here in quarterfinal. Now we will see what will happen. I am feeling good."
Where to Watch Live
wawrinka vs Gasquet is scheduled to begin after the first match on the No.1 Court, which is scheduled for a 1 pm BST (5.30 pm IST, 8 am ET) start.
Star Sports 4 will show the match live in India, with the online live streaming options available on Starsports.com and Hotstar.
BBC One will show all the match action live in the UK and Ireland, while the live stream option for the men's singles match is on BBC iPlayer.
US viewers can watch Stanislas Wawrinka vs Richard Gasquet live on ESPN, while the quarterfinal match can be live streamed on Watch ESPN.
Channel 7 is the place to be to watch Wimbledon live in Australia, with the live streaming option on Channel7 online.
