Stanislas Wawrinka Stuns Feliciano Lopez in the opening round battle – Monte Carlo Rolex Masters 2012
Rated at number 26 in the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Rankings, Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka surprised the world number 16, Feliciano Lopez, in the first round of the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old Swiss took just 68 minutes to dispose of the number 10 seed Spaniard in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4, to reach the second round of the ATP Masters 1000 event.
It was the third time these two went one-on-one against each other, with the prior two matches being split among the two. It was the 2008 Madrid Masters when they played as opponents last time, with Lopez winning in twin sets,
6-4, 6-4. It was the payback time for Wawrinka and he registered his 11th victory of the running season and got 2-1 up against the Spanish in the head-to-head series.
The opening half of the contest was completely owned by Wawrinka, who took no time in getting under the skin of his superior-ranked opponent. The unseeded Swiss raced throughout the opening set without any serious challenge being
faced and took the set with a breadstick. Lopez posed some late resistance in the following set but it was way too late for the 10th seed to make a comeback in the match. Wawrinka carried on with his aggressive game play and concluded the matchup
in his favour.
Wawrinka’s 63 per cent precise serve included 14 cracking aces and three double faults. He dropped just four points his first serve, bagging 26 out of 30 and converted three out of eight break chances en route to victory. On the
other hand, Lopez badly struggled to convert the lone break point he received in the match and kept trailing with the score line to finish on the losing side in the end. A total of 110 points were played in the match, with Wawrinka winning 66 and Lopez trailing
behind with 44 points in his bag.
Wawrinka will take on the unseeded Spaniard, Pablo Andujar, in the second round of the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters later this week. The Spaniard stood victorious against the Argentine qualifier, Federico Delbonis, in a stiff three-setter,
3-6, 6-4, 6-2, in the opening round of the star-studded event.
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