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- Stan Wawrinka (ATP 139) is eliminated from the Australian Open in the 3rd round.
- Romand kept up well with the American Taylor Fritz (ATP 9) for a long time, but lost in four sets.
- Click here for the round-up of the remaining games in the men’s table.
Stan Wawrinka was the oldest player since 1978 to make it to the third round of a Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne. The 40-year-old Romand no longer wanted to make it to the round of 16. Wawrinka lost to Taylor Fritz (ATP 9) after 2:48 hours 6:7 (5:7), 6:2, 4:6, 4:6.
In the packed John Cain Arena, with the roof closed due to the extreme heat, Wawrinka once again had the audience behind him. The fans would have loved to see a fifth set in Wawrinka’s last game in Melbourne. But Fritz showed no mercy. With an ace – his 30th of the game – the American earned his first match point. Shortly afterwards the game was over.
20 years after his first game at the Australian Open, Wawrinka had once again put everything into the balance. The strains of the first two rounds were particularly evident for Romand in the fourth set. The Swiss conceded the decisive break when the score was 1:1. Because Fritz could rely on his serve, he was no longer in danger of giving up the lead.
Outstanding in the 2nd set
It was clear from the start of the game that Wawrinka would not just act as a mere sparring partner for the world number 9 this Saturday. The Romand initially appeared unimpressed by Fritz’s usual strong serves and impressed with a confident service in the first set. Although Wawrinka didn’t give his opponent a single break chance, the first round still went to the American. In the tiebreak, Fritz narrowly had the upper hand with 7:5.
Wawrinka was completely unimpressed by this setback in the second set. The Lausanne player took Fritz’s serve at the first opportunity and then confirmed the break to make it 3-0. When the score was 4:2 he had to fend off the first break points, but did so with flying colors. In the following game, Wawrinka won 3 set points thanks to a fantastic forehand. He used the third to equalize the set.
The 3rd movement was very reminiscent of the 1st round. Short rallies, due to strong serves from both players, dominated the game. Fritz resolutely took advantage of Wawrinka’s brief period of weakness. The 28-year-old got his first break of the game when the score was 3:3. The service breakthrough was enough for Fritz to win the third set.
Wawrinka then took a medical timeout and disappeared into the catacombs. There was no apparent medical problem on his face. But a comeback was no longer possible against Fritz.
Australian Open
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