Friday 5 June 2015 08:19, UK
Roger Federer graces the French Open for the third consecutive day on Tuesday as the French Open quarter-finals get underway.
As an appetiser for the mammoth Novak Djokovic v Rafael Nadal clash and Andy Murray’s last eight tie, Federer kicks off the quarter-finals against his Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka.
For the first time ever, the final eight have all previously experienced Grand Slam finals with five of them having lifted the winner’s trophy, underlining the vast improvements in quality that the sport is currently offering.
Federer, the 17-time Grand Slam winner and 2009 French Open champion, will fancy his chances against last year’s Australian Open victor Wawrinka on account of his vastly superior head-to-head record.
In 19 meetings, Federer has come out on top 16 times including in all four of their Grand Slam encounters. But there is cause for optimism for Wawrinka.
He has twice ousted his compatriot on clay courts, most recently in last year’s Monte Carlo final, and his understanding of the surface could be his trump card.
Kei Nishikori plays Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Tuesday’s other quarter-final with both players aiming to emulate their history-making countrymen of years gone by.
Fifth seed Nishikori is playing in his first French Open last-eight tie and a win would make him the first Japanese player to reach the final four of this tournament since Jiri Satoh in 1931 and 1933.
Tsonga, meanwhile, is the final French representative in his native competition and will target becoming the first home player to be crowned winner since Yannick Noah 32 years ago.
But the omens don’t look good for Tsonga because Nishikori has won his last seven matches against French opposition in Grand Slam matches, and beaten Tuesday’s opponent four out of the last five times.
Ana Ivanovic, the 2008 champion at Roland Garros, aims for her first semi-final since that triumph when she meets Elina Svitolina while Maria Sharapova’s conqueror Lucie Safarova takes on Garbine Muguruza.
