NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka shrugged off the threat of rain to storm into the U.S. Open semi-finals on Wednesday.
Moved from the Arthur Ashe Stadium court to Louis Armstrong to bring Federer’s match forward, Wawrinka appeared untroubled by the change of venue, needing just an hour and 47 minutes to repel big-hitting South African Kevin Anderson 6-4 6-4 6-0.
Second seed Federer turned in an equally economical effort, brushing aside Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-3 6-3 6-1 in a tidy 87 minutes to set up an all-Swiss semi-final on Friday.
The other side of the draw features a battle of the big men, with top seed Novak Djokovic taking on defending champion Marin Cilic.
“Emotionally it’s not so hard for me,” said Federer, who holds a commanding 16-3 advantage over his Davis Cup team mate and reigning French Open champion.
“But subconsciously, you know he knows what your preferences are, where you like to go and where you’re probably going to go,” he added
“That’s the weird part. I feel we meet each other somewhere in our minds before the point is being played out.”
Federer and Gasquet are both armed with elegant one-handed backhands but apart from that aesthetically pleasing stroke, there were very few similarities in their lopsided contest.
The 17-time grand slam winner could hardly miss and Gasquet all too often played the role of innocent bystander as the Swiss maestro uncorked 50 winners to a mere eight from the 12th seeded Frenchman.
Anderson, meanwhile, lacked the energy he displayed in a fourth round upset of third seed Andy Murray, allowing Wawrinka to dictate play for large stretches of the match.
