QUICK EXIT FOR STAN
THREE-TIME grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka was a shock Australian Open second-round casualty last night with a loss to unseeded American Tennys Sandgren.
The ninth seed, who was late to declare his fitness for the grand slam he won in 2014, had no answer to the in-form Sangren in a stunning 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 loss.
Heading into Melbourne Park, the Swiss veteran had not played a competitive match in six months after suffering a serious knee injury.
Earlier, Belgian Davis Cup star David Goffin capitulated in the severe heat.
Seventh seed Goffin saved two match points before surrendering his second-round clash 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) to French journeyman Julien Benneteau yesterday.
Goffin, who steered the European nation past Australia in last year’s Davis Cup semi-finals, had more winners, fewer unforced errors and won six more points than the 26year-old world No.59.
Alas, two months after Goffin conquered Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer en route to the season-ending championship final in London, it was Benneteau instead who set up a third-round meeting with fel- low veteran Fabio Fognini. Italy’s 25th seed was a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 winner over Russian Evgeny Donskoy.
The winner will play either Argentine 12th seed Juan Martin del Potro or former semifinalist Tomas Berdych for a quarter-final berth.
Del Potro, in his first Open in four years, remains a title dark horse after seeing off Russian Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (0-7), 6-4.