Third seed Stanislas Wawrinka takes on seventh seed Marin Cilic in the Men's singles quarter-final of 2017 French Open on Wednesday.
Wawrinka, the 2015 champion, eased past local favourite Gael Monfils 7-5, 7-6(7), 6-2 in his R16 match on Monday. On the other hand, Cilic benefited from his opponent Kevin Anderson's withdrawal to reach his maiden French Open last-eight round.
Wawrinka had had horrible season on the dirt when he failed to go past the second round in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome. However, his title-triumph in Geneva came at the right time - weeks ahead of the Roland Garros.
In Paris, the Swiss star has not lost a set yet despite facing tricky opponents of the likes of Alexandr Dolgopolov and Fabio Fognini. Known for peaking in the business end of major tournaments, Wawrinka holds the edge over Cilic, whom he has beaten five time on clay, with a 11-2 overall head-to-head record.
Cilic has had a decent campaign on clay this season with quarter-final appearances at Monte Carlo and Rome and a title at Istanbul. The Croat though will have to considerably raise his game if he has to open his account against Wawrinka on the dirt.
