ROGER Federer and Stan Wawrinka, mentor and protege, will resume hostilities at the French Open on Tuesday night after Federer surged into the Roland Garros quarter-finals.
World No 2 Federer expertly completed a delayed fourth-round win over Gael Monfils, triumphing 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-1.
Tournament scheduling dictates Federer fronts up again on Tuesday night, explaining his haste in finishing off Monfils when play resumed in brilliant conditions.
Avenging consecutive losses to Monfils, Federer stormed into an all-Swiss quarter with a typically smooth and clinical dissection of the wayward Monfils.
For reasons more than technical, Wawrinka poses a more comprehensive threat than Monfils.
Federer and Wawrinka argued at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London last year after Wawrinka claimed Federer’s wife Mirka had sledged him.
The two quickly patched up their differences and savoured Davis Cup victory at the end of last season.
Federer, chasing an 18th grand slam crown, holds a 16-2 record over his compatriot - and intends to extend the sequence after securing a record 11th quarter-final berth here.
Deadlocked at set all after with Monfils bad light halted play on Sunday, Federer launched out of the blocks on the restart.
He broke in the first game to regain the upper hand as Monfils struggled to find range and when the Swiss twice lured the Frenchman into more trouble in the fourth set, the contest was over.
The 2009 French Open champion, Federer and Wawrinka often practise together.
But they have clashed only three times at grand slam level - with Federer taking the honours in every match for a combined loss of just one set.
Federer’s advance came as the tournament’s invisible man - Spanish seventh seed David Ferrer - sped into the last eight.
A finalist here two years ago, Ferrer caned US Open champion Marin Cilic 6-2 6-2 6-4 to reach his sixth quarter here.
Originally published as Federer to face Wawrinka in quarters
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