Stan Wawrinka

[Żilu]

[Damian]

Wawrinka awaits Milos Raonic next in a blockbuster third-round clash. Also coming off a quarter-final run in Cincinnati, the Canadian defeated Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday afternoon. Wawrinka leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head 4-1, but Raonic has taken the most recent encounter, prevailing in five sets at the 2016 Australian Open.

Seeded 25th, Raonic's best result in New York was a Round of 16 appearance on three occasions: 2012, 2013 and 2014. He withdrew from last year's edition with a wrist injury, but is peaking at the right time this year, firing 39 winners, including 17 aces, to dismiss Simon in efficient fashion.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/us ... onic-isner

[Lleyton]

Stan Overcomes #NextGenATP Test; Isner Survives In Five

Spoiler:

2016 champ will face Milos Raonic in third round

One month ago, Stan Wawrinka was continuing to plot his comeback from a knee injury, struggling to find his elite form and rhythm on the court.

It looks like Stan is the man once again. The 2016 champion extended his win streak to nine straight at the US Open, overcoming a stern test from 20-year-old Frenchman Ugo Humbert. He outlasted the surging #NextGenATP star 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Wednesday.

Oppressive heat and humidity set the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center ablaze on Day 3 and Wawrinka's superior fitness proved critical over the three-hour and 20-minute affair. Despite surrendering a break lead in the second set, the Swiss would have too much firepower for the dogged Humbert, who acquitted himself well in defeat.

"It was a battle to play a player that I never played before," said Wawrinka. "He's a young player. He's been playing really well this summer, recently: qualifier, won a match. He's a lefty, doesn't give you a lot of rhythm and plays a great game.

"I think I went down a bit after being a set and a break up. Lost a little bit my focus on the right things. I wasn't feeling great all the match. I wasn't feeling the ball the best. I would have loved to. But I think it was important to stay mentally there, to stay trying to play a lot of balls, trying to play aggressive. As I say it was tough conditions for both players, so I just wanted to stay there."

You May Also Like: Five Things To Know About France's #NextGenATP Ugo Humbert

Two days after upsetting eighth seed Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets, former World No. 3 Wawrinka continues to make significant progress in his return to the tour. Also a quarter-finalist at the Western & Southern Open, he is projected to return to the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings a week from Monday.

Meanwhile, Humbert will hold his head high after reaching the second round in not only his Grand Slam debut, but his first tour-level main draw, as a qualifier. The Frenchman has catapulted up the ATP Rankings behind three consecutive final appearances on the ATP Challenger Tour in July, lifting his maiden trophy in Segovia, Spain. Having won 17 of his last 20 matches, he is projected to rise to a career-high inside the Top 120 and will be up to 11th in the ATP Race To Milan.

Wawrinka awaits Milos Raonic next in a blockbuster third-round clash. Also coming off a quarter-final run in Cincinnati, the Canadian defeated Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday afternoon. Wawrinka leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head 4-1, but Raonic has taken the most recent encounter, prevailing in five sets at the 2016 Australian Open.

"It's going to be good," Raonic said of facing Wawrinka. "I watched him play two matches in Cincinnati. I watched him play a little bit of his match against Grigor on Monday. He's playing well again. He's moving well. He's doing his things. He's stepping up. He's playing well in those big points. He's hitting the ball hard, as he knows. He's effective with his backhand. It's going to be tough. I'm going to have to play well."

Seeded 25th, Raonic's best result in New York was a Round of 16 appearance on three occasions: 2012, 2013 and 2014. He withdrew from last year's edition with a wrist injury, but is peaking at the right time this year, firing 39 winners, including 17 aces, to dismiss Simon in efficient fashion.

Isner

John Isner claimed a thriller under the lights on the Grandstand, needing five sets to dispatch big-hitting Chilean Nicolas Jarry. Into the third round for a 10th straight year, he needed three hours and 42 minutes to prevail 6-7(7), 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4.

Up to a career-high No. 42 in the ATP Rankings, Jarry diffused Isner's power with world-class shotmaking of his own, launching 61 winners. A semi-finalist in Hamburg and Kitzbuhel last month, he staved off five break points at 3-all in the fifth set, but Isner's experience proved critical in moving the American across the finish line.

Isner blasted 72 winners, including 38 aces, to advance. He improved to 3-1 in five-setters at his home Grand Slam, adding to victories over Andy Roddick in 2009 and Frances Tiafoe in 2016.

The North Carolina native will next face Dusan Lajovic, after the Serbian triumphed 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 over Cameron Norrie. Lajovic, who never previously won a match at the US Open, is into a Grand Slam third round for just the second time (2014 Roland Garros). Isner leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 4-1, including a fifth-set tie-break win in Davis Cup earlier this year.

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[Barty]

[Lleyton]

[Damian]

Stan Marches On In St. Petersburg

Spoiler:

Former World No. 3 to face red-hot Khachanov in second round
Two years ago, Stan Wawrinka made the final of the St. Petersburg Open on his debut. On Monday, Wawrinka made a good start toward going one step further in his second appearance at the tournament.

Wawrinka defeated Slovenian Aljaz Bedene 7-5, 7-6(5) to reach the second round at the ATP World Tour 250-level event, setting a tantalising second-round match against No. 4 seed Karen Khachanov.

"It was a tough match. I think in general the level was good. For sure, really tough," Wawrinka said. "I think I fought well. It's never easy in the first match to really feel the conditions, especially when you don't really practise on the court. So I'm happy with a great victory, I think a good battle and a good level."

Wawrinka fell to No. 263 in the ATP Rankings on 11 June, his lowest standing since August of 2003. But he is already back inside the Top 100 at No. 88 and in good form, winning six of his past eight matches. Now, the former World No. 3 will try to pursue his first title since last year’s Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open in May.


The 33-year-old had won two of his three previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings against Bedene, with each of those clashes coming in Chennai. And while he was broken in his third service game, the Swiss battled back to triumph after one hour and 48 minutes, saving four of five break points held against him.

He will play Khachanov for the first time with a spot in the quarter-finals on the line. It will be a tough test for Wawrinka, as Khachanov has been playing some of the best tennis of his young career. The Russian reached the semi-finals at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, and pushed World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in a four-set thriller at the US Open that took longer than four hours.

"It's going to be an interesting match," Wawrinka said. "He's playing at home, with the crowd for him. He's a young player, he's improved a lot. He's playing well. He played a great US Open. He's a great guy, also, we know each other well, so it's going to be interesting. I'm happy to play against him. I know it's going to be a tough match, but I'm going to try to enjoy."

In other main draw action, 2012 champion Martin Klizan beat home favourite Evgeny Donskoy 6-4, 6-4 in 90 minutes. The Slovakian remains undefeated in St. Petersburg, with just one of his six matches going to a deciding set. Klizan, who broke serve five times, will next face No. 2 seed Fabio Fognini in a rematch of the 2012 final.

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Did You Know?
Damir Dzumhur opens play on Centre Court Tuesday, competing against qualifier Lucas Miedler. One year ago, Dzumhur earned his maiden ATP World Tour title in St. Petersburg, and he now owns three tour-level trophies.

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[Barty]

[DUN I LOVE]

Wyrównał bilans tegorocznych poczynań Stan, 14-14 w tej chwili.

[grzes430]

Wawrinka: 'I'm Playing Really Well'

Spoiler:

Swiss confident in progress ahead of Khachanov clash
Stan Wawrinka got his St. Petersburg Open campaign off to a good start on Monday, battling past a tough Slovenian opponent, Aljaz Bedene, against whom he had lost once before. It wasn’t an easy match by any means, as Bedene served for the opening set. And it was another step in the right direction for the former World No. 3, whose form continues to improve after undergoing two left knee surgeries in August 2017.

“I think in general I’m playing really well,” Wawrinka said. “I think it’s getting there. I think I need to keep being patient, keep working really hard and well outside the matches because I know I need to keep doing the right things for the end of the year, try to gain some confidence and we’ll see what happens.”


It’s easy to see Wawrinka’s 14-14 record on the season and wonder whether he will return to his best form. But the 33-year-old is not looking far enough ahead to consider what ATP Ranking he wants to achieve by a certain date, or how many more titles he’d like to win.

“My goals are to finish this year well, I have a few more tournaments to play. I’ll keep working outside matches, I’ll keep pushing myself, keep trying to improve tennis-wise, physically. Also, I want to finish a good year and get a chance to do the right preparation, right offseason, push myself to be 100 per cent ready for the beginning of [next] year and then we’ll see,” Wawrinka said. “I never really put a goal of ranking, winning tournaments, things like that. I put a goal to do the right things day by day, because that’s the way I know that the results will follow.”

You May Also Like: Stan Marches On In St. Petersburg
And while Wawrinka has not advanced to a semi-final since February, his level has certainly been improving. The Swiss owns three victories against Top 15 opponents in his past two tournaments. The 16-time tour-level champion’s past three losses have all come against top-tier opponents — Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and former World No. 3 Milos Raonic.

So Wawrinka is not in Russia to simply continue working on his game like he has been doing in practice. While he has not captured a title since triumphing in Geneva last May, he has one goal in mind.

“When I come to a tournament, it’s to win,” Wawrinka said. “It’s to win matches, to get confidence, the more you win, the better you start to play. It’s a long process, but I’m happy with today’s match. I’ve been practising enough… so I’m happy to play matches.”

Wawrinka will try to take another step forward in the second round against in-form Russian Karen Khachanov.

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[arti]

[Damian]

Wawrinka Fights Back Into St. Petersburg QF

Spoiler:

Swiss to next face defending champion Dzumhur or Pella

Former World No. 3 and 2016 finalist Stan Wawrinka returned to the quarter-finals of the St. Petersburg Open on Wednesday, beating Russian Karen Khachanov 7-6(10), 7-6(1).

The fourth-seeded home favourite served for the opening set at 6-5 but was broken to 15 when Wawrinka smashed a crosscourt backhand winner. The 33-year-old Swiss then had three set points from 6/3 in the tie-break, but Khachanov erased them all and later had two set points of his own.

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At last, however, Wawrinka sealed the 22-point tie-break on his fifth set point. There was little drama in the second set, as Wawrinka clinched the tie-break and the second-round match on his first opportunity.

The Swiss wild card, No. 88 in the ATP Rankings, will next meet defending champion Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina or Argentina's Guido Pella.


Seventh seed Denis Shapovalov bided his time before upsetting the rhythm of Spanish qualifier Adrian Menendez-Maceiras 7-6(3), 6-2. The #NextGenATP Canadian won five of the first six points in the tie-break as well as five of the first six games in the second set on his debut at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament. Overall, he lost two of his first service points (31/33) and struck 10 aces in the 83-minute victory and now plays Italy’s Matteo Berrettini.

Slovakia's Martin Klizan awaits the winner of Shapovalov-Berrettini after upsetting second seed Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-3, 6-4. Klizan saved all three break points faced and has yet to drop a set through two matches in St. Petersburg.

Elsewhere, fifth seed Roberto Bautista Agut, a semi-finalist in each of the past three years, was equally impressive on serve in beating qualifier Luca Vanni of Italy 7-5, 6-2 in 81 minutes. The Spaniard will next meet 2004 champion Mikhail Youzhny, who won the 499th match of his 20-season pro career, 7-6(6), 6-4 against Mirza Basic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Youzhny will retire after this week's tournament

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[Lleyton]

[Lleyton]

Stan Surging In St. Petersburg

Spoiler:

Thiem survives third-set tie-break against home favourite Medvedev

Former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka continued his return to form on Friday, ousting defending champion Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals of the St. Petersburg Open. It is the Swiss' first trip to the last four of any event since February, when he did so at the Diema Xtra Sofia Open in Bulgaria.

"I think it was a great match," Wawrinka said. "I adapted a little bit my game. I found exactly what to do. I think in general, the level was great. I was mixing a lot the speed, I'm moving well, I've been aggressive when I needed to, some good defence. I think it was a complete match, and I'm really happy with the high level today."

Before the Western & Southern Open in August, Wawrinka had not won three matches at a single tournament all season. But he has now done so twice in the span of just more than a month.

It appeared the 33-year-old would face a stern test when Dzumhur, who beat him in the pair's only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting last year in Dubai, broke early on. But from there, the World No. 88 showed glimpses of his vintage shotmaking to blast past the sixth seed after 72 minutes. Wawrinka saved three of the four break points he faced and won 71 per cent of service points en route to his triumph.

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In the next round, he will face Slovakian Martin Klizan, the 2012 champion who recovered from a set and 3-5 down to knock out seventh-seeded Canadian Denis Shapovalov 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and four minutes.

Klizan, who beat second seed Fabio Fognini in the second round, is playing in his first ATP World Tour tournament since lifting his sixth crown at the Generali Open in Kitzbuhel (d. Istomin) on 4 August. The 29-year-old has a perfect 6-0 record in tour-level finals and will look to reach a seventh championship match when he faces Wawrinka, who owns a 3-0 lead in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

Top seed Dominic Thiem guaranteed that there will not be a Russian champion in St. Petersburg for the 13th consecutive edition, as the Austrian battled past home favourite Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(2).

“I’m very sorry that I beat a Russian guy, but I think it was a great match from the beginning until the end,” Thiem said. “[A] tie-break in a deciding set is always lucky, so I’m lucky that I won.”

Thiem

Thiem utilised strong tactics in the match's crucial third-set tie-break, slicing his backhand repeatedly to keep the pace of the rally slow until he could explode and hit a heavy forehand to take control of the point. The World No. 8 only converted three of 15 break points in the clash, but he struck 10 aces in his two-hour, seven-minute victory.

He will next face fifth seed Roberto Bautista Agut, who overcame a tough opening set to defeat third seed Marco Cecchinato 7-6(0), 6-3. It has been a strong bounceback week for the Spaniard, who arrived in Russia on a three-match tour-level losing streak. Bautista Agut has won all three of his FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings against Thiem.

"So far I have no idea how to beat him," Thiem said. "He won all three matches, so I have to put up something new. But we practise often together, he’s a really nice guy, so I’m looking forward to facing him in a great semi-final.”

Did You Know?
While Wawrinka has never lost to Klizan, the Slovakian has won the first set in two of their three previous meetings.

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[Damian]

[Lleyton]

[grzes430]

[Damian]

[arti]

[Damian]

Wawrinka Moves Past Fritz, Next Up Shapovalov In Tokyo

Spoiler:

Swiss star set to meet Shapovalov in second round

The last time Stan Wawrinka competed in Tokyo, three years ago, the Swiss raced to the title with the loss of just one set. The former World No. 3 looks in form to challenge for the trophy again, defeating #NextGenATP American Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday to reach the second round of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2018.

“I think the level in general [was good]. I think today I was moving well. I think I was serving really well,” Wawrinka said. “On the indoor court, it’s never easy in the first round. But my level is there, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”


Wawrinka will hope to maintain if not improve the form he put on display against Fritz, winning all but one (31/32) of his first-serve points. The Swiss also broke serve at two of six opportunities. He next faces another #NextGenATP competitor in Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who dismissed Hyeon Chung in three sets on Monday. It will be the first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting between the pair.

“I think he’s a really dangerous player. He’s playing really well. This year he’s improving a lot week by week,” Wawrinka said. “He’s young, he’s going for it, so it’s going to be a tough match for me, especially on an indoor court, fast court. He loves it, he loves to go for it, so I’m expecting a really tough battle.”

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Wawrinka is steadily improving his level as he continues his comeback from two left knee surgeries last August. He’ll hope to add to his rich resume in Tokyo, where he has reached at least the quarter-finals in three of his four previous appearances.

“I’m really happy to be back for sure. I think I have a lot of support, a lot of fans. In 2015 I won the tournament, so it was a great memory. Since I’m here, there’s a lot of people coming for practice, for the match,” Wawrinka said. “Today I think was a really good from my side, especially for a first round, so I’m really happy with the win. But now I need to be ready for the second match against Shapovalov tomorrow.”

In other action, Frenchman Jeremy Chardy battled from a set down to defeat three-time ATP World Tour titlist Damir Dzumhur 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 45 minutes. The 31-year-old has now gotten through his opening-round match in Japan in all six of his appearances, and he has only lost to an opponent outside of the Top 20 in the ATP Rankings here once (2015, Muller).

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[Lleyton]