Wawrinka winner on St Petersburg debut
ST PETERSBURG: Top seeded US Open champion Stan Wawrinka made a successful Saint Petersburg Open debut on Wednesday, cruising comfortably into the last eight by beating Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic.
Wawrinka prevailed 6-3, 6-1 in just 57 minutes to record his sixth win over Rosol in as many meetings.
The world No.3 raced through the first set, courtesy of service breaks in the fifth and ninth games.
The 31-year-old was checked in the first game of the second set when he was trailing 0-40, but the Swiss star rallied to produce two more breaks to seal the set and the match.
“I think my level today was good,” Wawrinka said. “I was really focused trying to be aggressive, trying to find the right way for the first round. And I’m happy with my performance.”
Fourth seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut battled back from a set down to advance into the quarter-finals by beating Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/2).
“It wasn’t easy for me to play the first match here,” said the Spaniard.
“It was tough to get used to the conditions, the balls and the surface. Hopefully I will perform better i n the quarters.”
Joao Sousa of Portugal, seeded eighth, also overcame a one-set deficit to beat Moldovan qualifier Radu Albot in a tough three-setter 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 on his way to the second round.
Seventh seed Serb Viktor Troicki experienced few troubles in his opening round match seeing off Portugal’s Gastao Elias 6-1, 6-2.
DATE-KRUMM EYES 2017 RETURN
Former world No.4 Kimiko Date-Krumm is targeting a return to the court next year, having last featured in the qualifying rounds of the Australian Open in January.
Japan’s Date-Krumm, who will turn 46 next week, has been plagued with injuries since she made her comeback in 2008, after initially retiring in 1996, and is recovering from knee surgery she underwent in April.
“I have been told it will take a year [to fully recover from the operation] and it’s just a case of how much more or less time it will be than that,” Date-Krumm told reporters in Tokyo.