ROGER FEDERER'S hopes of winning a second French Open title are over for another year after he was beaten 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) by Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka.
Federer was bidding to reach his first semi-final at Roland Garros since 2012, but a superb Wawrinka performance ensured it was the world number nine who went through to face France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Wawrinka hit 43 winners during a dominant display, which also saw Federer fail to break an opponent's serve for the first time in 291 Grand Slam matches, a record that stretches back to the 2002 US Open.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion came close to clawing back the third set, but he struggled to keep pace with Wawrinka, whose performance he admitted was "red-hot".
"I don't think this is the first for anybody who has seen Stan play this way," Federer said.
"We know he can do this. It's just nice for him now, even talking for him, to string it together on a big occasion like this at the French, where I always thought he'd have his best chance to do well. The Australian Open (where Wawrinka won the tournament in 2014) was a surprise for many, but the French people always thought this is where he would get closer to winning potentially.
"For him, it's obviously great to be in the semis now. I thought he played really good tennis out there today."
It is only the second time in 16 meetings that Wawrinka has beaten Federer, while reaching the semi-final represents the 30-year-old's best ever result in Paris.
"I'm really, really happy and really satisfied with the way I played today," Wawrinka said.
"I am always really, really nervous when I play Roger, especially in big moments like quarter-finals of Grand Slams. I wasn't really feeling good this morning and before the match, but I also know that's when I play my best game because I'm so focused in that I have no choice to play well.
"The conditions were really tough. I don't think anyone was happy with the wind. But it's quite clear what I have to do when it's conditions like that and when I play Roger - I need to play really heavy.
"That's why Roger was struggling today. It's because I was playing so well. I'm really proud for the match I did today."
