Andy sets up semi clash with Stan

Defending champion Stan Wawrinka held off a late charge by Albert Ramos Vinolas to storm into the French Open semifinals with a 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 victory on Wednesday.

The third-seeded Swiss, who got off to a slow start in opening rounds of the claycourt grand slam, steamrollered through the first two sets and resisted in the third on Court Suzanne Lenglen to set up a meeting with world number two Andy Murray after the Briton saw off Frenchman Richard Gasquet in four sets.

After breaking back in the third, he forced a tiebreak and even had a set point but Wawrinka saved it and raised his arms in celebration when Ramos Vinolas's forehand sailed long on match point.

After labouring through the first game, Wawrinka crushed Ramos Vinolas to take the first two sets in less than an hour.

He seemed en route to dishing out a drubbing when he broke in the third, but Ramos-Vinolas played longer balls, putting the Swiss on the back foot to send the set into a tiebreak.

A string of unforced errors by Wawrinka meant the Spaniard had a set point at 7-6 but Wawrinka forced a backhand error and won the two remaining points.

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic recovered from a mediocre start to reach the French Open quarter-finals on Wednesday with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-5 rain-delayed victory over plucky Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.

The world number one, chasing the only grand slam title to elude him, will take on Czech seventh seed Tomas Berdych, who defeated David Ferrer.

Meanwhile in the women's draw, Australian 21st seed Samantha Stosur reached the last four with a 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) victory over Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria. Former US Open champion Stosur matched her best run at a Grand Slam since reaching the semifinals in Paris in 2012.

Stosur, runner-up at Roland Garros six years ago, will play Spanish fourth seed Garbine Muguruza, who moved into the last four with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Shelby Rogers of the United States.