Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka plays a shot against France’s Benoit Paire during the first semi final mach of Chennai Open tennis tournament in Chennai, India, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016. Wawrinka beat Paire in straight sets 6-3,6-4. AP
PARIS —Stan Wawrinka is the first player through to the French Open semifinals.
The defending men’s champion beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (7) to become the only Swiss man other than Roger Federer to have reached the semifinals of the clay-court major tournament multiple times. Federer, absent this year with an aching back, has played in seven semifinals and five finals, winning the title once, in 2009.
The third-seeded Wawrinka was never really troubled by his left-handed opponent, who was playing his first fourth-round match at a Grand Slam.
Ramos-Vinolas had only four break points in the match on Court Suzanne Lenglen and won just one of them, in the third set.
Wawrinka improved his career record against Ramos-Vinolas to 7-0. He will play either Andy Murray or Richard Gasquet in the semifinals.