Sports
Wawrinka will face off with Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in quarter-final
Updated : Sep 30, 2017, 11:32 AM IST
Stan Wawrinka's campaign for a second Australian Open title stepped up a gear on Sunday as the hard-working Swiss fended off Italian journeyman Andreas Seppi 7-6(2) 7-6(4) 7-6(4) to reach his fourth quarter-final at Melbourne Park.
STAN THE MAN. #Wawrinka is through after winning three straight tiebreaks vs #Seppi! #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/P0qK9XIOx7
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 22, 2017
The 2014 champion has done it tough in the opening week, but despite the tight scoreline, he was rarely threatened by 89th-ranked Seppi on a sunny afternoon at Margaret Court Arena.
With top seed Andy Murray crashing out only minutes before the win, Wawrinka's chances of grabbing a fourth grand slam title have been given a huge boost and he is now the highest seed in the top half of the draw.
Wawrinka next faces Dan Evans or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for a place in the semi-finals.