PARIS(AP) Roger Federer has been an adviser, friend and Olympic doubles partner for Stanislas Wawrinka.
Now, for the first time, Federer will be his Swiss countryman's Grand Slam opponent. They'll meet Sunday in the fourth round of the French Open.
He's really a good friend,'' Wawrinka said.We know each other so well, so it's never easy to play him, especially here in French Open. But then when you go on court, you try to do your job.''
Wawrinka has taken care of business at Roland Garros, reaching the round of 16 for the first time. With one more victory, he would earn his first berth in a Grand Slam quarterfinal.
A win would also end Federer's record streak of reaching the semifinals in 23 consecutive major tournaments.
All streaks come to an end,'' Wawrinka said.Sooner or later in his career, he will lose before the semifinals. But writing history, that is not my main objective.''
Seeded 20th, Wawrinka earned a chance to play Federer by beating Fabio Fognini on Friday, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1. Federer beat qualifier Julian Reister 6-4, 6-0, 6-4.
Also advancing were Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova and Venus and Serena Williams. Most of tennis' top players were in action because of a schedule backlog caused by rain earlier in the week.
Defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova was upset by fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. The No. 6-seeded Kuznetsova, who saved four match points in the second round, will fall out of the top 10 for the first time in four years.
You cannot play all the time great,'' Kuznetsova said.It's ups and downs. I have not been playing well this clay-court season and this season, but it happens, you know. I'll be back. I have the game. It's fine. It's just matters of time.''
Federer has yet to drop a set, but then so has Wawrinka, who considers clay his best surface. Federer is 4-1 in the friendly rivalry and easily won their most recent meeting in Madrid two weeks ago, but Wawrinka won at the Monte Carlo Masters on clay last year.
They'll face each other on a Grand Slam stage for the first time. They first met for a practice session when Wawrinka was 16 and Federer was already in the top 10.
We played for two hours,'' Wawrinka said.It was very tough. I was very nervous to begin with, but I had a lot of fun.''
Federer has since built an unrivaled resume, with a record 16 major titles and - thanks to last year's victory at the French Open - a career Grand Slam. He has also provided informal counsel to Wawrinka, Switzerland's second-best player.
I'm not his coach, but at the beginning it's like giving tips and advice,'' Federer said.I saw him growing. It's always very interesting to see how he can continue and make progress. He's no longer asking for tips, which is a good sign.''
They've been doubles partners for the Swiss Davis Cup and Olympic teams, and they won together at Beijing in 2008.
It's probably the best memory of my life,'' Wawrinka said.Tennis is such an individual sport that you can hardly ever share something with somebody. And being able to share this victory with Roger on the courts was beautiful. Because of him, I have a gold medal in my house, so I'm very happy for that.''
Wawrinka will be the toughest test so far in this year's French Open for Federer, whose first three opponents were ranked 71st, 70th and 165th.
I haven't played top guys yet, but dangerous players who are skillful on this surface,'' Federer said.With my own form, I'm very happy.''
Wawrinka knows what he's up against.
``The greatest player ever,'' he said.