Tennis

Stan Wawrinka battles past Medvedev to set up quarter-final with Zverev


Former champion Stan Wawrinka emerged from a mid-match loss of confidence to battle past the Russian fourth seed Daniil Medvedev to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals with a 6-2, 2-6, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 victory yesterday.

Medvedev, 23, arrived in Melbourne after a 2019 season featuring four titles and a Tour-leading 59 match wins and came into Monday’s contest against Wawrinka having won both career meetings at grand slams in four sets. But the Russian failed to find a way past the battling 2014 Australian Open champion, ending up the highest seed to fall in the men’s draw so far.

Wawrinka, who won the last of his three grand slam titles at the 2016 US Open, hit a staggering 71 winners and sealed the contest after three hours and 25 minutes.

“This was another amazing match, really tough to play against Daniil, I lost to him in US Open but today came back strongly,” he said. “The level was super high and it was a great atmosphere. It’s amazing to keep playing here, I’m really happy to be able to continue to play at this level here and I’m looking forward to the quarter-final.”

Wawrinka was flawless in the opening set and wrested initiative with a double break of the Russian’s serve.

But Medvedev, who lost to Rafa Nadal in five sets in last year’s U.S. Open final, levelled the contest by breaking Wawrinka twice in the second and nosed ahead in the match with a break in the seventh game of the third.

Alexander Zverev was triumphant over Andrey Rublev



Alexander Zverev was triumphant over Andrey Rublev. Photograph: Xinhua/Shutterstock

The points grew longer in the fourth with both players refusing to yield and it was only in the tiebreaker that Wawrinka created a clear margin to force a deciding set.

Wawrinka rode the momentum and broke Medvedev’s first service game in the fifth, and another break in the seventh sealed the contest in his favour.

After his win, the 34-year-old tapped the side of his forehead with his finger and patted his chest as the crowd at Margaret Court Arena cheered him on. “I’m finding the answers, I lost confidence a bit in the second and third sets but I knew it was all on the mental side of things,” he said.

Wawrinka will meet the German seventh seed Alexander Zverev who strolled past his childhood friend Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to end the Russian’s 15-match winning streak and book his maiden quarter-final spot in the Australian Open.

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“It feels amazing,” said Zverev. “I played some great matches against some great opponents. This is Andrey’s first loss of the season. He’s won two tournaments already, made to the fourth round here, playing unbelievable tennis.

“I’m just happy to be playing how I’m playing. Because after ATP Cup I wasn’t sure I am going to be winning any matches here to be honest. But it’s all going well and hope I can continue.”



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