Metz | Wawrinka stuns Medvedev

Three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka, a former top three player currently ranked 284 following knee surgery in 2017 and tendon problems in 2021, produced some impressive tennis to beat former world number one Daniil Medvedev for his first top-10 win since 2020.

It’s for moments like this that I did everything to come back Stan Wawrinka

Wawrinka, who came through qualifying to join the main draw where he cleared his first-round opponent Joao Sousa in straight sets, missed a match point in the second set before clinching a 6-4 6-7(7) 6-3 victory to reach the quarter-finals of the Moselle Open in Metz, France.

“I’m very happy with the level of play that I managed today,” Wawrinka, said after claiming his first win since 2020 over a top ten player.

“It’s for moments like this that I did everything to come back.”

But the top seeded Medvedev, who has slipped to three in the world rankings and is keen to return to the No.1 spot, fought hard especially in the second set.

The 37-year-old Swiss saw the two break points which would have given him a 4-0 lead in the decider slide by as the Muscovite pulled himself back into contention to level at 3-3.

Wawrinka however, held his nerve and broke again, wrapping up the victory on his third match point.

“Stan was better than me and he won,” Medvedev said. “I tried to hang on. I had opportunities but it wasn’t good enough.

“But respect to Stan, I didn’t think he was 37!”

Wawrinka will next face Sweden’s Mikael Ymer in his first ATP quarter-final since January 2021.

In other second round action, second seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland defeated former US Open champion Dominic Thiem’s 6-3 6-4, the Danish teenager Holger Rune progressed after Frenchman Benjmin Bonzi retired when trailing 6-4 4-1, Kazak Aexander Bublik recovered to defeat Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori 6-7(4) 6-4 6-3, Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego dispatched Frenchman Gilles Simon 7-6(2) 6-4 and was joined in the last eight by compatriot Arthur Rinderknecht who took out Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili 7-6(11) 6-3.

Also through is Sebastian Korda who eliminated another Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-3 7-6(6).