Wawrinka, who has not been beyond the third round of a Grand Slam tournament since Australian Open 2020, is currently ranked world No.98. His 6-4 6-4 6-2 win over Murray marked his first straight-sets win at a major since also beating Murray in the first round in Paris in 2020.
His bruising 2017 Roland Garros semifinal triumph – again, over Murray – is widely believed to have contributed to the knee problems which shortly after that derailed his season and required surgery.
Wawrinka described it as his best match of the year.
“I’ve been pushing myself the last few years after all the injury to come back to high level. I keep pushing myself,” said Wawrinka, who first played Murray 19 years ago in a Davis Cup rubber.
“I didn’t win many matches this year. I was failing a little bit mentally to finish those match(es). But the level (has) always been there. I always been pushing every day, physically and tennis-wise to get to a good level.
“(Tonight) I think I was feeling good. I was moving well. I was playing aggressive. I liked the conditions, and I’m super happy with the performance and the level. It’s really positive for me.”
Wawrinka is positioned in the draw to potentially face second seed Jannik Sinner in round three.
Gasquet could meet the Italian star in round two, after overcoming Coric 7-6(5) 7-6(2) 6-4 in front of an electric crowd at Court Suzanne Lenglen.