CHENNAI, India, (Reuters) – Swiss third seed Stanislas  Wawrinka stormed into the quarter-finals of the Chennai Open yesterday with a 6-3 6-4 victory over American Michael Russell. World number 21 Wawrinka will next meet seventh seeded  German Michael Berrer, who advanced with a 7-6 6-3 win over  Frenchman Stephane Robert.

Olympic doubles gold medallist Wawrinka broke the American  in the eighth game to win the first set.

Russell broke early in the second to lead 3-1 before the  Swiss came back strongly to break his opponent twice with  flowing backhands.

“I wasn’t serving very good because of the wind,” Wawrinka  told reporters of his early stumble in the second set. “He put  on the pressure, but I came back well.

“It was not easy, Russell was playing really well.”

Wawrinka, along with Croatian holder Marin Cilic, the second  seed, are favourites for the title after Swedish top seed Robin  Soderling lost in the first round.

Lukas Lacko made it to his first ATP Tour quarter-final when  he beat American Robby Ginepri 7-6 6-4 and the Slovak will play  Israeli fifth seed Dudi Sela for a spot in the last four.

“I was serving well but didn’t feel too good from the  baseline,” Lacko, ranked 82 in the world, told reporters.

Lacko fired 11 aces as he broke 2005 U.S. Open semi-finalist  Ginepri twice in the second set after winning the first set  tiebreak 7-3.