Top-seeded Andy Murray continued to stride at Roland Garros with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over Karen Khachanov while Stan Wawrinka advanced with a 7-5, 7-6, 6-2 win against Gael Monfils.

Based on his performances prior to Paris, few gave Murray a strong shot at winning the title at Roland Garros but his play has progressed with each round as he has more frequently resembled the player who captured the top ranking late in 2016. He, once again, looks like a player who has his eye on a French Open title.

Murray found the ability to blunt Khachanov’s extreme power game as the Russian ripped massive groundstrokes from both wings. The Scot used his strong return game and took advantage of some untimely service errors to gain the break opportunities he needed. He finished Khachanov off in just over two hours.

Afterward, Murray admitted that he has made progress since arriving in Paris. “I think today was probably the best I have played overall. It was difficult conditions. It was pretty windy out there. Wasn't easy,” he said. “But each match, I feel like I played better. I have hit the ball cleaner and started to see the right shots at the right moments. Yeah, I've come a long way the last 10 days or so.”

With the win, Murray advances to the quarterfinals where he will face Kei Nishikori who defeated Fernando Verdasco in four sets.

Meanwhile, Wawrinka continued to play solid, consistent tennis in his match with home favorite Monfils. His performance, thus far, has resembled his efforts of 2015 where he quietly advanced through the draw and ultimately claimed the top prize.  The Swiss has yet to drop a set at Roland Garros.

Wawrinka overcame an early first-set service break and found two of his own to gain an advantage despite fighting to hold serve much of the set.

In the second set, neither player could gain an advantage and the set was determined by a tiebreak. To the crowd’s delight, the Frenchman would fight off three set points to even the tiebreak at 6-6 but he could not capitalize on the momentum and Wawrinka took a 2-0 set lead. Monfils went quickly in the third set as Wawrinka advanced to the quarterfinals.

“It was a really close two sets. I think was a tough match, tough conditions, quite windy, a lot of tension, because we know each other so well. So, it was important to stay there, to stay strong with myself, and I'm happy to get through this match,” Wawrinka said. “It was a really good crowd today. I think they were really fair on the court. I think the atmosphere was great to play, so I'm happy with everything.”

Wawrinka will face Marin Cilic who advanced after Kevin Anderson was forced to retire due to injury with the Croat up 6-3, 3-0.