Stan Wawrinka: 'Andrey Rublev was better and faster than me before..'

The 23-year-old Russian Andrey Rublev has been the player to beat since the season restart, reaching two Major quarter-finals and lifting three consecutive ATP 500 titles! In Paris, Andrey became the first player with 40 ATP wins in 2020, leaving Novak Djokovic on 39 and battling against Stan Wawrinka for the place in the quarters. The Swiss came from a set down to notch a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 triumph in an hour and 41 minutes, advancing to the first Masters 1000 quarter-final since Madrid last year. Stan made an excellent recovery from set number two, turning tables and setting the clash against Alexander Zverev. Rublev won their previous clash in Cincinnati 2019, looking good to repeat that under a roof in Paris after a strong start, only to experience the first loss after winning the first set since Paris last year. Wawrinka won one point more than Rublev, with three breaks of serve on each side.

Andrey grabbed his breaks in the first set, taking only 11 points on the return in the rest of the clash to end his run in the third round. Stan had the advantage in the shortest range up to four strokes, producing bold and aggressive tennis that left the Russian without an answer. The 5th seed seized a break in the first game following a loose backhand from Wawrinka, fended off a break chance in game two and closed it after a lucky net cord. Stan wasted four game chances at 1-3, falling further behind when Andrey forced a mistake to deliver the second break.

Stan Wawrinka defeated Andrey Rublev in three sets in Paris.

From 40-15, the Swiss lost four straight points on serve at 1-5, hitting another forced error to hand the opener to the Russian after 32 minutes. Stan landed a return winner that sent him 4-3 up in the second set, fending off two break points in the next game and firing three winners at 5-4 to clinch the set. The Swiss produced four excellent holds in set number three, earning a break in the first game when Rublev sprayed a forehand error. Powerless on the return, Andrey netted a backhand at 3-5 to suffer another break and push Stan over the top. 

"I think Andrey played better and faster than me in the early stages, taking confidence out of me. It was tough for me to find any solution when he's playing that well. I still believed that I could change something in my game and raise my level. For me, it was essential to focus on my serve. I started serving better and mixing my initial shots more, getting more free points and taking away his aggressive approach, as he had to defend more. That's when I knew I would have some chances on the return. I'm thrilled with the victory," Stan Wawrinka said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/32loT0c