LONDON, July 6
Stan Wawrinka rolled back the years as the 38-year-old Swiss proved the old adage that class is permanent and form temporary by knocking out seeded Argentine Tomas Etcheverry today to reach the third round at Wimbledon.
His career may be in its twilight but Wawrinka proved a notch above a man 15 years his junior to claim a 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-2 victory on a sunny Court Three.
It was the first time Wawrinka has reached third round of a Grand Slam for three years and his reward is a box-office duel with defending champion Novak Djokovic, the man he famously made cry after beating him in the 2015 French Open final. Djokovic sealed his spot after beating Jordan Thompson in straight sets.
The 88th-ranked Wawrinka, who has extended his career despite issues with his knees, had lost in the first or second round of his last six Grand Slam tournaments.
“It’s a long time that I didn’t win too much at Grand Slams,” Wawrinka, who once turned the so-called big four into a big five by winning the 2014 Australian Open, the French Open a year later and the 2016 US Open, said on court after an impressive display against the 29th seed.
“I’ve been working hard to get back to a better level and I’m happy with the way I’m coming up.”
Wimbledon has never been Wawrinka’s happiest hunting ground with only two quarterfinals runs and he has made the third round for the first time since 2015.
Djokovic, bidding for a fifth consecutive Wimbledon title and a joint-record eighth in total, leads their career head-to-head 20-6, but they have never met on grass.
“I’ll enjoy it if I don’t get killed,” Wawrinka said of his impending showdown with the Serb who has lost only twice at Wimbledon since 2013 ndash; one of which was due to an injury withdrawal.
Svitolina going strong
Former Wimbledon semifinalist Elina Svitolina continued her excellent run in Grand Slams following her maternity break as the Ukrainian wildcard downed 28th seed Elise Mertens 6-1 1-6 6-1 to move into the third round.
Svitolina, who returned to the tour in April following the birth of her daughter in October 2022, reached the French Open quarterfinals last month and proved too good for five-time champion Venus Williams in her Wimbledon opener. — Reuters
Day 4: highlights
RUUD shock
Britain’s Liam Broady gave the home fans on Centre Court reason to celebrate after he eliminated Norwegian fourth seed Casper Ruud 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-3 6-0 in a huge upset.
ZVEREV ADVANCES
Alexander Zverev, who finally got a chance to play his first-round match on the fourth day of the tournament, moved into the second round with a 6-4 7-6(4) 7-6(5) victory over Dutchman Gijs Brouwer.
AZARENKA THROUGH
Twice former Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka sealed a comfortable 6-3 6-0 victory over Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska.
Muchova down amp; out
Czech Karolina Muchova, the French Open finalist seeded 16th at Wimbledon, was hampered by a thigh injury as she lost 6-4 5-7 6-1 to Germany’s Jule Niemeier in the Round 1.
Sublime Sinner
Jannik Sinner coasted into the third round with a 7-5 6-1 6-2 victory over Diego Schwartzman as the eighth seed claimed a second win over an Argentine opponent in as many matches.