Stan stunned!
Three-time major champ shown exit in first round
WASHINGTON: Stan Wawrinka’s surgically repaired left knee is just fine.
What’s missing now for the threetime major champion as he goes through a rough season is the selfbelief that comes with success.
Wawrinka’s latest quick exit came on Tuesday night at the Washington Open, a 64, 67 (57), 76 (73) loss against 234thranked qualifier Donald Young of the United States in the first round of the hardcourt tournament.
“I was missing a lot. Not feeling the way I wanted. I’m looking for confidence, for sure,” said Wawrinka, who has been ranked No. 3 but is merely 198th at the moment on account of a 611 record in 2018 after two knee operations last year.
“It’s tough to not win a lot of matches. Then you start to think too much on the court.”
This was Wawrinka’s first match since bowing out of Wimbledon in the second round in early July; his ranking is so low that he needed a wildcard entry just to get into qualifying for his next event, in Toronto.
The only other time Wawrinka entered the US Open tuneup in Washington, in 2010, he also lost his opener.
Right now, his issue is the doubt can creep up at key points in a match.
“I feel I’m really close but, at the same time, really far.
“The positive right now is that physically, I’m feeling good.
“Tenniswise, I’m practicing well. I can put (in) a lot of work on the court,” said Wawrinka, who has won the US Open, Australian Open and French Open once apiece.
“I know and I’m sure I will get where I want to be.
“It’s just tough. It’s a long process and you have to accept (it).”
He and Young, who came into the day with just a 210 record this year, were supposed to play on Monday night.
But because of rain delays and a lengthy match before theirs, they only made it onto the court to warm up at 1am and then a downpour arrived, so the contest was postponed.
“Fought a lot of nerves there but I’m happy the end result was a ‘W’,” Young said.
“Closing matches is kind of like a skill you get from winning and I haven’t done that – but I was able to do that.”
In an earlier match, local product Denis Kudla – who is staying at his parents’ home in nearby Arlington, Virginia, this week – collected his first victory in seven attempts at the Washington Open, coming back to beat Lukas Lacko of Slovakia 67 (37), 61, 64.
“This is always a place that I’ve wanted to win and I’ve always struggled here.
“My record was pretty awful coming into today,” said Kudla, who had been 04 in maindraw matches and 02 in qualifying at the tournament.
“Today it just came together.” Marcos Baghdatis, the 2010 runnerup, advanced with a 63, 36, 62 victory over Benoit Paire, who drew boos from spectators after a racketbreaking tantrum.
Vasek Pospisil, a finalist in 2014, lost to 19yearold Alex de Minaur 67 (68), 62, 63.
Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki pulled out of the women’s draw because of an injured right leg, while defending champion Ekaterina Makarova lost her firstround match to Ana Bogdan 76 (72), 63.