Initially he sought comfort in the familiar, the mundane. But largely he struggled to wrap his head around the new normal. For the two-time major winner — more, incidentally, than what Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal managed between them those two years, 2014 and ‘15 — the grind of the tour took its time getting sorted.
But Wawrinka found a way as the year wore on. Wednesday’s performance here at the SDAT Stadium certainly raised no questions about his commitment to the professional game or his knowledge of the mechanics of victory. The World No.4 was emphatic in his calm, organised dismissal of 18-year-old Andrey Rublev, 6-3, 6-2 in just under an hour.
The contest provided a fascinating contrast of two methods of generating power. Rublev’s had a touch of the crash-and-burn about it, a snappy, fast-twitch stroke that exploded into contact with the ball; Wawrinka set up a low, solid base and shifted his weight through the ball, the legs driving a relaxed arm through the stroke.
But though Rublev matched Wawrinka’s pace off the ground on several occasions, the Swiss’s was the more repeatable technique. Wawrinka also had better movement, a more wholesome all-court game with several degrees of defence, and years of experience to call on; not for nothing is the 30-year-old ranked among the world’s elite.
The most Rublev could hope to do was infrequently confound Wawrinka. He caught the eye with a few outrageous strokes, a two-handed return-winner off a serve timed at very nearly 200 kmph, the pick of them.
But the trouble with attempting the spectacular too often is the percentages catch up; and it can be particularly chastening when the guy on the other side sees what you do and nonchalantly raises it. Wawrinka did just that to secure the second break in the second set. His anticipation took him within reach of a smash he had no right getting to, and then his feel allowed him to float back a low ball that Rublev couldn’t volley.
In truth, the match was over long before this moment. Wawrinka’s place in the last-eight was never really under threat. He will play Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, his nominated doubles partner this tournament. The pair pulled out of the doubles because Garcia-Lopez didn’t want to risk a strained calf. The decision paid off for the Spaniard, who defeated Croatian qualifier Ante Pavic 7-6(5), 6-1 on an outside court.
Also advancing to the quarterfinals was Borna Coric, a 6-2, 7-5 winner over Austin Krajicek. The American, a distant cousin of Richard, the 1996 Wimbledon champion, appeared to have little more than the lefty angle to hurt Coric with — although Krajicek played a solid second set, the result was never in doubt.
The only alarm for Coric came in the second set’s 11th game when he appeared to twist his ankle. He showed no ill-effects, however, and later said: “I’m okay, hopefully tomorrow [Thursday] morning, I’ll be okay too.”
The results: Second round: 8-Borna Coric (Cro) bt Austin Krajicek (USA) 6-2, 7-5; 1-Stan Wawrinka (Sui) bt Andrey Rublev (Rus) 6-3, 6-2; 5-Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Esp) bt Ante Pavic (Cro) 7-6(5), 6-1; 4-Roberto Bautista Agut (Esp) bt John Millman (Aus) 6-4, 6-1.
Doubles: First round: N. Sriram Balaji (Ind) & Ramkumar Ramanathan (Ind) bt 4-Marcus Daniell (Nzl) & Artem Sitak (Nzl) 2-6, 7-6(5), [10-5]; 3-Oliver Marach (Aut) & Fabrice Martin (Fra) bt Aljaz Bedene (GBr) & Treat Huey (Phi) 4-6, 6-4, [10-5]; Austin Krajicek (USA) & Benoit Paire (Fra) bt Sergey Betov (Blr) & Mikhail Elgin (Rus) 6-7(2), 6-4, 15-13; Somdev Devvarman (Ind) & Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (Ind) bt Nicholas Monroe (USA) & Hans Podlipnik-Castillo (Chi) 4-6, 6-3, [10-5].
On Tuesday (all first round): Luca Vanni (Ita) bt Jan-Lennard Struff (Ger) 6-4, 7-6(5); 6-Gilles Muller (Lux) bt Karen Khachanov (Rus) 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-2; Aljaz Bedene (GBr) bt 7-Vasek Pospisil (Can) 7-5, 7-6(6); Thomas Fabbiano (Ita) bt Jozef Kovalik (Svk) 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Doubles: 2-Marcel Granollers (Esp) & Leander Paes (Ind) bt Taro Daniel (Jpn) & John Millman (Aus) 6-2, 6-3; Mariusz Fyrstenberg (Pol) & Santiago Gonzalez (Mex) bt Aliaksandr Bury (Blr) & Borna Coric (Cro) 6-4, 6-3.
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