Beaten five times – including Roland Garros and the US Open – at the quarterfinal stage this season, Stan Wawrinka had not reached the last square since February. In Rotterdam, he had even climbed to the final, then bowing to Gael Monfils.
A perfect first set
Hard winner (7-6 in the third set) of Feliciano Lopez (ATP 62) in the second round, the Vaudois put himself in danger on Friday. Author of a perfect first set, he missed a first match point at 6/5 in the tie-break of the second set, on his commitment, after Gilles Simon had committed a double fault at 5-5.
But the former world no 3 reacted to perfection after letting slip this second round. He raised his level of play to sign the break in the deciding set, and broke the nail by seizing the opposing service again in the fifth game. He was able to conclude on his second match point, thanks to one of his famous winning setbacks dropped along the line.
A second duel with Sinner
Top-ranked player still in contention in Antwerp, Stan Wawrinka will face Saturday one of the new prodigies of the circuit, Jannik Sinner (ATP 119). And the 34-year-old Vaudois knows what to expect from the Italian "teenager", whom he faced in the first round of the last US Open. He won 6-3 7-6 4-6 6-3 at Flushing Meadows.
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