The Swiss third seed broke the big-serving Cilic six times, spraying the court with winners throughout the match to ruthlessly sweep the seventh seed aside.
Wawrinka, who lifted the Musketeers' Cup in 2015, ended Cilic's ordeal on his first match point with a second-serve ace.
"Today was a perfect match for me, I thought I played very well from the beginning," Wawrinka told a news conference.
Last year, Murray prevailed on four sets but the Briton has been struggling to find his A-game this season.
Wawrinka is well aware of that.
"I think it will be an interesting match. The conditions are a little different," he said.
"I think he's probably a bit less confident. He's a bit more hesitant. Hopefully I can take advantage of that and find solutions to beat him," said the three-times grand slam champion.
Wawrinka also believes he is playing better than a year ago.
He has not dropped a set to reach the last four, which could be a factor on a very demanding surface.
"The fact is that so far things have gone quite well. I think physically and mentally I feel ready," he said.
"I feel fresh. My tennis is good. So everything has been going very well."
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ken Ferris and Pritha Sarkar)
