Stan Wawrinka is not considering retirement and at the age of 39, continues to make his presence felt on the tour by scoring some early wins.
I always lost close matches but this was the first one I played at home, so I think it’s thanks to you [the crowd] that I won today Stan Wawrinka
After reaching the semi-finals in Stockholm last week, the three-time grand slam champion held on to make the second round of the Swiss Indoor event in Basel to the delight of his home crowd.
He defeated Adrian Mannarino 6-3 3-6 7-5 and is now the oldest match-winner in the tournament’s history!
“I always lost close matches [against the Frenchman], but this was the first one I played at home, so I think it’s thanks to you [the crowd] that I won today,” Wawrinka, who had lost each of their previous three meetings, said.
“Today I was able to be more patient with myself and stay aggressive when I needed to be. These difficult wins in the opening rounds are the ones that make me the most happy.
“It’s a pleasure to come to Basel each year, it’s one of the reasons why I aim to keep going, so I want to thank the tournament for the invitation, for the chance to play in the main draw.”
The Swiss wild card, who is making his 17th appearance in Basel, will next face sixth seeded Ben Shelton on Thursday for a spot in the quarter finals.
“I expect a very tough match, he’s young, he plays very well,” Wawrinka continued. “It’s going to be tough to implement my game, with the intensity that he brings, but I am going to try and battle like always.”
He has always been a powerful player with a strong serve and that worked well against Mannarino, as did his defensive work when the Frenchman looked to be turning the match in his favour during the decider before sealing his win after two-hours of battle.
If he is successful against the American in round two, the Swiss star would be facing the top seeded Andrei Rublev who secured his place in the last eight with a 7-6(3) 6-1 defeat of Alejandro Tabilo in 73-minutes.
(Photo by Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Rublev is fighting to stay in the field of the fast-approaching ATP Finals, the major end-of-season event. Currently the Russian lies in the last qualifying place at 8 in the Race to Turin.
His latest win will help his chances of making a fifth appearance at the ATP Finals but Casper Ruud, the second seed who is one spot above him at 7th, could well slip following his opening round loss Roberto Bautista Agut, fresh from his success in Antwerp.
The Norwegian lost 6-3 3-6 6-3 to the veteran Spaniard who will now go on and face wildcard Denis Shapovalov.
“I am enjoying it on the court. As you can see, I feel well after a tough year,” the 36-year-old Bautista Agut said after his two-hour, three-minute win. “I had a lot of pressure and was playing qualies, but as soon as I got a little bit of calm I could play better, and I am enjoying it more.”
Two-time defending champion Felix Auger Aliassime maintained his dominance of the 500 tour-level event when he progressed past Sebastian Baez 7-5 6-1 to reach round two in 75-minutes where he joins Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune who were also successful in their openers.
