- Stan Wawrinka is defeated by Roberto Bautista Agut 5: 7, 6: 7 (5: 7) in the quarterfinals of the Swiss Indoors in Basel.
- The Swiss (ATP 194) shows a good performance, but his Spanish opponent (ATP 22) proves to be tough and finally fitter.
The last point was symbolic for the whole game: in the tie-break of the second set it was 5: 6 from Stan Wawrinka’s point of view, but the Swiss had serve. He got into trouble after a strong backhand longline return from Roberto Bautista Agut, but freed himself with an extremely strong praise.
The forehand from the Spaniard’s spin seemed to result in an easy volley from the Swiss. But Wawrinka had saved the weakest blow for last: The backhand volley sailed out. Losing like that is annoying, but the Vaudois can take comfort in the knowledge that he played a good game.
2:14 on breakballs
But Bautista Agut was even better. He constantly pressured Wawrinka, especially in the first half where he created 10 service break opportunities. Already in the first game, the world number 22 took the serve from the Swiss with the 5th chance.
Forehand, backhand, stop ball: Wawrinka shows the whole repertoire
“Marathon-Stan” was not a quick starter in this game, he also had to fend off breakballs in the second service game – and thus initiated the turnaround. He broke back to 2:2 and seemed to have arrived in the game. At the crucial moment there was another setback: After a forehand mistake, he had to be broken again to make it 5:6, Bautista Agut then closed the set with a crashing serve.
Wawrinka also had to fight in the second round and had to fend off another 4 breakballs. At times he seemed tired, but his fighting skills and worthwhile points saved the 37-year-old several times. In the tie-break, after a frame ball from Bautista Agut, he was 4-2 ahead with a mini-break, but gave up this advantage after a stumble. The end is known.
What’s in Paris?
For Wawrinka, the ATP 1000 tournament in Paris-Bercy continues as planned. The days at the Swiss Indoors will certainly help him on the way back. In the world rankings, the Vaud native has improved from position 194 to around 150th place. Next season he can register for 4 more tournaments with his protected ranking (22nd place). For his part, Bautista Agut meets Holger Rune or Arthur Rinderknech in the semifinals of the Swiss Indoors.
