Stanislas Wawrinka has eased into his second US Open semi-final with a straight-sets win over Kevin Anderson in New York this morning.
The fifth seed beat his 14th-ranked opponent 6-4 6-4 6-0 in just one hour and 50 minutes to set up a potential last-four bout with fellow Swiss Roger Federer, who faces Richard Gasquet.
Little could separate them in the first six games as both players held their own, but the big-serving South African, whose impenetrable service game was a leading factor in his fourth-round win over Andy Murray, let Wawrinka break him to move 4-3 ahead.
From there, the French Open champion, who previously reached the semis at Flushing Meadows in 2013, closed out the first set with relative ease against a nervous-looking Anderson, playing his first Grand Slam quarter-final.
Despite that, Anderson looked markedly more settled throughout the second set and had to dig deep in the fifth game to hold serve and move 3-2 ahead.
However, his hard work was ultimately in vain as Wawrinka broke him in the ninth game to move 5-4 ahead in what proved the defining moment of a tight second set.
The disappointment saw Anderson's morale plummet as Wawrinka pulled off three breaks of serve in a third-set whitewash to seal his place in the next stage.
Shane Callaghan
