Stan Wawrinka vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: Score and Reaction from 2015 French Open

No. 8 Stan Wawrinka enjoyed little support during Friday's French Open semifinal clash with No. 14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but the Swiss star blocked it out and came through with a 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-6(3), 6-4 win to advance to his first men's singles final at Roland Garros.

The match was a grind for Wawrinka, but he ultimately prevailed due to Tsonga's inability to convert break points, according to ESPN Tennis:

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Stan Wawrinka saves 16 of 17 break points to down Tsonga 6-3 6-7(1) 7-6(3) 6-4 to reach @rolandgarros final. #RG15 pic.twitter.com/qRfqj8HNbJ

— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) June 5, 2015"

While Wawrinka is now in line to potentially win the second Grand Slam title of his burgeoning career, Tsonga's defeat continues a lengthy drought for Frenchmen in the French Open final, per Stuart Fraser of the Daily Mail:

Wawrinka was aware that the French Open fans would be firmly behind their countryman, but he wasn't worried about the partisan crowd impacting his performance, according to the ATP World Tour website.

"When I played [Gilles] Simon on [Court Suzanne] Lenglen, I got booed. It doesn't really affect me. I don't have any problem," Wawrinka said. "I don't think you can change the results. I don't think [crowd support] is what's going to make me win or [Tsonga] win."

It was clear the 2014 Australian Open champion wasn't intimidated in the opening set, as he breezed to a 6-3 win in just 35 minutes. The form he displayed in defeating Swiss countryman Roger Federer in the quarterfinals seemed to carry over into the semis, but Tsonga showed the resiliency he has become known for.

Although Tsonga fell behind 4-2 in the second set and was in danger of going down 2-0 in terms of sets, he managed to battle back and level the second frame up at 4-4.

When that occurred, the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd Wawrinka had previously silenced finally came to life, per Roland Garros on Twitter:

With the momentum finally in Tsonga's favor, he pushed the second set to a tiebreak. It was crucial, as a loss would have put the Frenchman in a major hole, and he was able to rise to the occasion.

The 14th-seeded player crushed Wawrinka 7-1 in the tiebreak to even the match, which made things quite interesting entering the third set, with each player experiencing his fair share of ups and downs.

As pointed out by Carole Bouchard of the Yellow Ball Corner, the second set was disconcerting from Wawrinka's perspective, as he was seemingly on the verge of putting Tsonga in trouble:

Wawrinka continued to fight in the early portion of the third set despite the disappointment he suffered in the second, but he was in obvious discomfort and needed a medical timeout in order to treat an issue with his finger, according to Christopher Clarey of the New York Times:

Despite the ailment, Wawrinka hung in there and matched Tsonga shot for shot in the third set. Neither man could break the other's serve, although Tsonga had his fair share of opportunities. He squandered a remarkable six break points, which led to the second consecutive tiebreak.

Unlike the second set, Wawrinka was in control this time. He took it 7-3 and moved within one set of winning the match.

Based on the Frenchman's inability to score a decisive blow in the third set, BBC's Piers Newbery wasn't surprised to see the Swiss star come through:

According to Bouchard, Wawrinka was essentially able to will his way back into the lead despite being on his heels for much of the set:

As seen in this photo courtesy of BBC Tennis, the intense heat at Roland Garros seemed to be getting to Tsonga at the conclusion of the third set:

After dodging several bullets in the third set and regaining control of the match, Wawrinka dealt another blow to Tsonga at the start of the fourth.

He scored an immediate break, and Clarey got the impression the French underdog was starting to fade:

Despite that, Tsonga set himself up with a golden opportunity to break back immediately with a pair of break points. He squandered both of them, though, and Wawrinka came back to hold.

Per Juan Jose Vallejo of Rolling Stone, Tsonga failed time and time again when he had the chance to put Wawrinka on the ropes:

After a hold of serve, Tsonga's struggles continued, as he let four more break points go by the wayside and allowed Wawrinka to seize a 3-1 lead. By that point, the Frenchman had converted on just one of 17 break-point attempts in the match.

That was all the cushion Wawrinka would need. The players traded holds of serve before he finally put it away and took the fourth and final set 6-4.

Wawrinka will undoubtedly be the underdog in the final regardless of whom he faces. Novak Djokovic is the No. 1 player in the world, while Andy Murray has enjoyed a strong season on clay.

The red stuff hasn't traditionally been kind to the 30-year-old native of Lausanne, Switzerland, as he was ousted in the first round at Roland Garros last year, but he has somehow managed to flip the switch.

He has beaten a pair of Frenchmen in hostile territory, and he defeated one of the all-time greats in Federer to get to this point. Wawrinka also beat Djokovic and Rafael Nadal en route to winning the Aussie Open last year, so he knows how to overcome top players on the big stage.

The fact that he had to work so hard to get past Tsonga on Friday means fatigue could be a factor in the final, but Wawrinka shouldn't be taken lightly, as he has now established himself as one of the elite players in the men's game right alongside Djokovic, Murray, Federer and Nadal.

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