Stan Wawrinka (ATP 100) qualified for the round of 16 of the Indian Wells Masters 1000. The Vaudois took the measure of Holger Rune (8) 6-2 6-7 (5/7) 7-5 in 2:39 and will face Jannick Sinner (13) or Adrian Mannarino (68) in the next round.
Finalist in 2017 in the Californian desert, Wawrinka thought he was reliving the bad scenario of the Paris-Bercy match in November when he overused 3 match points against Rune, who was also to win the tournament. In Indian Wells, he led 6-2 5-3 40-30 before losing the 2nd set in a tie-break which had seen him lead 4/0, then 5/2 with 2 services at follow…
The loss of this 2nd set despite a match point on his serve foreshadowed the worst. But the 37-year-old Vaudois delivered a remarkable 3rd set. He thus only conceded 3 points in 6 games on his commitment before signing the decisive break at 5-5 to conclude on a shutout this time.
Thanks to this victory, Stan Wawrinka is guaranteed to gain 14 ranks in the next ATP ranking. He won for the second time 3 matches in the main draw of a tournament since his return to business in April. He had already passed this pass of 3 in September in Metz.
ats/bao