Stan Wawrinka came back from a set down to battle past Sergiy Stakhovsky 5-7 6-3 7-5 in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Wawrinka was on the verge of defeat as he trailed 4-5 0-30 on serve in the third set but he bounced back to win four consecutive points to hold his serve before breaking serve in the 11th game.
Wawrinka and Stakhovsky met for the second time in the last seven day. Last week Wawrinka fended off two match points before beating Stakhovsky in the tie-break of the third set.
Wawrinka saved a break point in the seventh game of the first set before breaking serve on his second chance in the next game to take a 5-3 lead. Stakhovsky turned around the match by getting two consecutive breaks to take a 6-5 lead before serving out for the first set in the next game.
The Ukrainian player won six consecutive games to go up a set and a break at the start of the second set. Wawrinka bounced back from 1-3 down by winning five consecutive games to clinch the second set 6-3 with a break-back in the sixth game.
Wawrinka saved the only two break points in the second game of the third set and kept the pace with the twice Grand Slam champion. Wawrinka rallied from 0-30 to 40-30 to hold a crucial service game in the 10th game at 4-5. Both players went on serve until the 11th game when Wawrinka got the only break of the decider to take a 6-5 lead after a string of errors from Stakhovsky. The Swiss player served out for the match to love.
“It’s good for my confidence but it was a tough first match. I was hesitating, always being behind, stayng aggressive. It’s tough to play especially against Stakhovskiy, who doesn’t give you much rhythm. It’s a great win for me. Not playing well, still fighting, still finding a way. I was playing a little bit better at the end, trying to be the aggressive player on the court”, said Wawrinka
Wawrinka will face Croatian qualifier and world number 139 Franko Skugor who upset Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-2 6-3 to clinch his fourth match on the ATP circuit.
Tomas Berdych, twice finalist in Dubai, started his 10th appearance in Dubai with a 6-1 6-4 win over Joao Sousa in 70 minutes. Berdych broke three times to cruise to a 6-1 win in the first set in just 23 minutes. In a tighter second set both players traded breaks for three consecutive games. Berdych broke serve in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. Sousa broke straight back to draw level to 3-3 but Berdych converted the fourth of his five break point chances in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead. Berdych and Sousa held their next service games until the end of the match. Berdych closed out the match with an ace.
“I think he struggled in the first set, so he could get only better. I think he just started to play a little bit more solid, played a little bit more aggressive from his forehand side, which is his stronger side. He pushed me a little bit more but I think overall it was quite good”, said Berdych.
Berdych will face world number 144 Thomas Fabbiano from Italy, who stunned Leonardo Mayer with a 6-3 6-4 win in one hour and 19 minutes. Fabbiano saved a break point in the opening game before breaking in the sixth game. The Italian player held his next service games to seal the first set by 6-3. The second set went on serve until 3-3 when Mayer made two double faults to trail 15-40 but he saved two break points. Fabbiano broke serve to 30 in the ninth game and served out for the match.
World Number 18 Roberto Bautista Agut beat Simone Bolelli 6-2 6-4 in one hour and 25 minutes in Tuesday’s first match. Bautista Agut, who won two titles in Auckland and Sofia earlier this year, got a double break in the first and in the third games to race out to a 4-0 lead. Bolelli saved two break points in the fifth game but Bautista Agut held his next service games to close out the first set in 32 minutes. Bautista won 93 percent of his first serve points in the first set.
Bolelli saved a break point in the fifth game. Bolelli faced another break point after leading 40-0 in a very long seventh game but he saved it with an ace. The Spanish player did not convert his second chance but he broke serve on his third break point opportunity at deuce in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead. He served out for the match in the 10th game with an ace to secure his spot for the second round. Bautista Agut will face 19-year-old South Korean Hyeon Chung who beat Andreas Seppi 6-3 6-4 yesterday.
Borna Coric beat Jiri Vesely 6-4 6-4 in a match between two of the most promising rising stars of the circuit. Coric, who reached the semifinal last year in Dubai, broke serve twice in the first set to build up a 5-2 lead but did not convert his first set point. The young Croatian player served out for the set on his second attempt after 43 minutes.
Coric broke serve in the third game of the second set before saving three break points to open up a 3-1 lead. This only break was enough to clinch the win.
Coric set up a second round match against Phillip Kohlschreiber who beat Marsel Ilhan 6-1 7-5 in one hour and 27 minutes.
Lukas Rosol came back from a set and a break down to edge past Indian wild-card Yuki Bhambri 2-6 7-6 6-0. After losing the first set 2-6, Rosol went down 1-3 in the second. As he was serving to stay in the match at 5-6, the Czech player went down 0-40 but saved three match points to force the tie-break. After Rosol won the tie-break 7-2, he cruised through to a bagel in the third set in just 21 minutes.
Rosol will face Feliciano Lopez who beat Guillermo Garcia Lopez in an all-Spanish match on Monday.
