Stan Wawrinka overcame a second set scare to defeat Tatsuma Ito 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, in the second round of the Japan Open.
The encounter was a rematch of their first round match last year when Ito Stunned Wawrinka in straight sets. The top seed ensured that lightning didn’t strike twice in Tokyo, but it was a roller-coaster task for the world No.4.
During the first Set, Wawrinka maintained a consistent high level of service by winning 82% of his first service points and 85% of his second. The first significant move made by the top seed was in the sixth game of the match. During a lengthy encounter, which consisted of four deuces, Wawrinka converted his third set point to lead 4-2. Ito was constantly under pressure on his service throughout the set and almost dropped service for the second consecutive time before holding for 3-5. Despite the Japanese player holding, Wawrinka eased himself to claim the opening set after 31 minutes.
After losing to Ito at the Japan Open last year, the French Open champion was aware of how dangerous his opponent could be. A momentary lapse in concentration during the early stage of the second set allowed the Japanese world No.127 to generate his first break points of the match. The break points were gifted to Ito as Wawrinka produced a double fault, allowing him to move ahead 4-2. Ito fended off a break point against him in the following game to consolidate the break. At 5-2, Ito screamed ‘come on’ as he strove to cause an upset in the tournament for the second consecutive year. Ito’s intensity surged as Wawrinka appeared flustered on the court. The swiss player was rushing between his service points as the home player dominated the game yet again. Ito impressively won 13 out of the last 17 points in the second set to force the match into a decider.
The Japanese momentum was halted at the start of the deciding set as Wawrinka broke Ito in the first game. The struggle wasn’t over as the Swiss had to save three break points in the following game. As unforced errors started to become a feature in Ito’s game, the costly consequences enabled Wawrinka to lead 4-0. The Japanese player was still displaying the occasional outstanding shot, but they were overshadowed by the series of errors coming off his racket. Wawrinka’s four-game winning streak finally ended in the fifth game as Ito held his service. The Swiss was still rushing between his points which proved costly, during a long game Ito broke for the third time of the match to keep within contention. The reason for Wawrinka’s rapidness was unknown, but it was starting to benefit his opponent more than him, a scenario which also occurred at the end of the second set. Despite the mini comeback from Ito, the top seed ended the three-game losing streak to nudge ahead 5-3. Serving for the match, Wawrinka experienced another tough game as he took the win with his fourth match point after hitting a forehand down the line.
Throughout the testing match, Wawrinka produced 26 winners, 36 unforced errors and won 9/15 points at the net. In the last eight Wawrinka will play either Joao Sousa or American qualifier Austin Krajicek.
