Stanislas Wawrinka trumped fellow Swiss Roger Federer at a grand slam for the first time with a 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(4) victory in the French Open quarter-finals on Tuesday.
Forever in the shadow of his more celebrated compatriot, Wawrinka finally got the better of Federer at a major on his fifth attempt to set up a semi-final date with either home favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
A forehand volley on his second match point propelled Wawrinka, the 2014 Australian Open champion, to his first semi-final at the clay court major.
Second seed Federer's normally smooth racket rhythm lost all of its usual precision as gusting winds tore through Court Suzanne Lenglen.
He was broken in the third game of the first set, in the seventh game of the second set and when a couple of close calls went against him in the third set tiebreak, the 2009 champion's hopes of adding to his haul of 17 grand slam trophies were over.
"Many things... didn't go well, but mostly it's because of Stan's quality of shot making, forehand, backhand, serving big when he had to," said the 33-year-old.
Meanwhile, local favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga regained his composure just in time to hold off a stirring fightback from Japanese fifth seed Kei Nishikori, winning 6-1, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals.
Tsonga, who often suffers lapses in concentration, lost his momentum following a 40-minute suspension in play after a side panel from the scoreboard fell on the crowd from the upper part of Court Philippe Chatrier, injuring three fans.
Tsonga, a semi-finalist at Roland Garros in 2013, relied on his booming forehand to unsettle the U.S. Open runner-up, who only got into his groove late in the second set after the interruption.
Tsonga, looking to become the first Frenchman to win his home grand slam since Yannick Noah in 1983, struggled in the third and fourth sets, but was more focused in the decider.
He will face eighth seed Wawrinka for a place in Sunday's final.
