Stan Wawrinka produced arguably the best performance of his comeback season Wednesday night in Cincinnati, defeating Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-4 to record just his 10th match win of the year.
The Swiss three-time Grand Slam champion moved nimbly and struck his trademark backhand with conviction to set up a third-round meeting with Marton Fucsovics, whom Wawrinka beat last week in a third-set tie-break in Toronto.
Wawrinka said, “I’m really happy with the match, with the level. I think from 1-4 down I started to play really well, moving well, changing a lot of rhythm, being really aggressive, playing the right game. For sure one of the great matches I played, so I’m happy with the level and to have one more win here.
“I feel [my game] is getting there… I was feeling great on the court… I need to just be patient with myself, to accept things that are happening and by doing that, I know that I will get there.”
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Wawrinka showed signs of returning to something approaching peak form last week at the Rogers Cup when he defeated Nick Kyrgios in the first round and pushed eventual champion Rafael Nadal in a 7-5, 7-6(4) loss in the third round.
The 33-year-old continues the hard work to rebuild his ranking following two left knee surgeries in 2017. Currently at No. 151, Wawrinka needed a wild card into Cincinnati and has also been awarded one at the US Open, which begins 27 August.
“There was some really tough moments [after the surgeries],” Wawrinka said. It’s been a year now. Today, for sure, I’m smiling, I’m happy. I won two matches here. I beat Nishikori playing a great level. I feel like that what happened last year it’s really far, but at the same time I remember it was still really tough for me. You have to [separate] winning matches and the result of how you improved, because you can have a lot of up-and-down after a big surgery like that.”
Nishikori grabbed the early break in the first set but Wawrinka claimed back-to-back breaks in the latter stages of the first set and a third consecutive break in the opening game of the second to break open the match.
Coach Magnus Norman is not in Cincinnati this week but will team back up with Wawrinka in New York. “When we started again in April, we did the schedule until the US Open, basically. For sure I’m sure we both want to keep going. I also have Yannick, I have the rest of my team with me, so we’re trying to find the right balance for everybody to be happy.”
Did You Know?
Stan Wawrinka has three Grand Slam titles but just one ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title (Monte-Carlo, 2014).
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