Murray and Wawrinka, who beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain, 6-1, 6-2, 7-6, will now have a day off while world No.1 Novak Djokovic has to play his quarter-final against Tomas Berdych, who crushed David Ferrer in straight sets.
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Gasquet broke back in the next game and, as Murray turned increasingly to drop shots that the Frenchman began to read, reeled off the following three games to take a set his opponent had been in the most comfortable of box seats to win.
It was not all plain sailing for the two-time grand-slam champion, who relinquished a 5-2 lead to lose the first set and came from a mini-break down in a second-set tie-break to reach a third successive semi-final at Roland Garros. Things went to a tie-break which Murray comfortably won 7-3 to make it a set apiece.
They’ve both stormed into the last four in Paris playing some impressive tennis and with Murray owning a slender 8-7 head-to-head edge over Wawrinka, who has won their last three meetings, it’s a semi-final that is nearly impossible to predict. Both of us had our chances in the first two sets and it was very important for me to win the second set.
“I believe I can win the event”, said Murray, who plays defending champion Stan Wawrinka tomorrow. Then, on Tuesday, more rain allowed for a total of only 2 hours of play around the grounds, and all fourth-round matches on the top half of the women’s draw were pushed back again.
A string of unforced errors by Wawrinka meant the Spaniard had a set point at 7-6 but Wawrinka forced a backhand error and won the two remaining points.
“I got a good contact on a return at 3-3, and I remember at 3-2 I hit a drop shot and he had a backhand which hit the tape”.
Wasting no time at all, defending champion Serena moved closer to her record-equaling 22nd Grand Slam title with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over 18th-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in only 62 minutes.
Tennis top seeds Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray on Wednesday all scaled through to the next round of the 2016 French Open.
“I’ve played in worse atmospheres”, Murray said. At 31, Wawrinka is the oldest man in 31 years to reach the French Open semis.
“But aside from that, you know, I was playing some good stuff”.
“Of course she’s the best player”, Putinseva said. I do think I played well.
“But you have got to just try and concentrate on yourself”.
Williams’ elder sister Venus didn’t fare as well though, losing to Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky for the first time in her career, 6-2, 6-4.
“I’ve played a number of times against French players here in hard atmospheres and I managed OK, so I’m sure I’ll be fine”.
Second seeded Sania and her Croatian partner Ivan Dodig beat French pair of Alize Cornet and Jonathan Eysseric 6-7 (6), 6-4, [10-8] in a closely-fought second round match.
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Also, Kiki Bertens faces No. 15 Madison Keys in their first meeting and No. 12 Carla Suarez Navarro plays Yulia Putintseva.
