Even beyond his his marathon 7-6(4), 6-7(3), 6-4, win over American qualifier Donald Young at the Swiss Indoors in Basel, Stan Wawrinka was at his peak ‘stanimal’ level.
Playing in front of his home crowd, the top seed was on course for a straight sets triumph as he lead Young by a set and 5-3. Unfortunately for Wawrinka and his army of Swiss fans, the US Open champion was unable to close the match out as Young unexpectedly battled back to take the match into a decider. Faced with the prospect of failing to reach the last eight for the fifth year in a row, Wawrinka restored his lead in the match by breaking at the start of the third set. That lone break was enough as the world No.3 held his nerve to close the match out.
“It was not an easy match,” said Wawrinka. “It took three sets, he was playing tough.
“I had to play well to go through. There was a lot of tension out there, especially in the third set. I’d call this a positive win for me.”
Getting pushed towards his limit by a player ranked 80 places lower than him in the ATP rankings, Wawrinka believes that matches like his encounter with Young is what helps him triumph in the major competitors in the tour.
“This is such a game that helps me to win Grand Slams,” said Wawrinka after the 139-minute clash.
Wednesday’s Basel epic was the second consecutive match where the top seed has experienced a roller coaster journey. In the opening round, Wawrinka edged past compatriot Marco Chiudinelli in three sets. Spending almost five hours on the court in two matches, questions will be asked about how fresh the 31-year-old will be feeling during Friday’s quarter-final. Then again, Wawrinka hasn’t earned the nickname ‘stanimal’ for no reason.
“On the contrary! I need to spend time on the court,” Wawrinka said about his length of time on the court. “Compared to my Tuesday game against Chiudinelli, I felt better. I moved better. I can withdraw only positives from this victory. It mainly offers me the opportunity to play one more round here in Basel in an atmosphere that is really beautiful.”
Awaiting the Swiss No.1 in the quarter-finals will be Mischa Zverev. The German defeated Guido Pella 6-4, 6-2, in his second round match. It will be the first meeting between the two since the 2008 Wimbledon Championships.
