Wawrinka just too strong for Baghdatis
KUALALUMPUR: SecondseedStanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland made a strong start to his Malaysian Open tennis championships, registering a 6-1, 7-5 win over Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil last night.
World No. 10 Wawrinka fired six aces en route to taking the second round victory in 65 minutes. The Swiss player, who had a bye in the first round, took his winning record against Baghdatis to 4-0.
“It’s never easy in your first match. I played aggressive and I am happy with how I played. I am here to win every match and I know I have to play my best tennis,” said Wawrinka, who is playing in Malaysia for the first time.
In the quarter-finals, Wawrinka will face sixth seed Dmitry Tursunov of Russia.
Fourth seed Jurgen Melzer of Austria also reached the last eight. He defeated German qualifier Mischa Zverev 7-5, 6-4. In a match featuring eight breaks of serve, Melzer converted five of his nine opportunities to prevail in 87 minutes.
The 32-year-old Melzer, who is chasing his second ATP World Tour title of the season following his victory at the Winston-Salem Open in the United States last month, faces Argentinian Federico Delbonis today.
“I was struggling today. I didn’t play my best tennis. But at the end of the day, it’s just important that you have a next match to play,” said Melzer.
“I think in general I’m hitting the ball well. I just have to find my rhythm,” said Melzer.
World No. 77 Joao Sousa finished strongly to defeat Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 4-6, 7-5, 6-0 in just over two hours. The Portuguese will take on top seed and world No. 4 David Ferrer of Spain for a place in the semi-finals.