Stanislas Wawrinka and Xavier Malisse progress into quarters – Topshelf Open 2013
Swiss star, Stanislas Wawrinka, eased past the Italian challenger, Paolo Lorenzi, in straight sets at the Topshelf Open 2013 on Wednesday. The Belgian veteran, Xavier Malisse, on the other hand outlasted Yen-Hsun Lu by a 3-6, 6-1,
6-4 score line at this ATP World Tour 250 series event taking place in s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
Seeded second in this event, Wawrinka, required one hour and 13 minutes to outclass Lorenzi with a 6-3, 7-6(8) victory. The contestants previously met each other in Buenos Aires earlier this season and after stealing this show,
the Swiss maintained his winning record against the 31-year-old.
The Swiss veteran commented in a courtside interview after clinching the match, "Today, I played better than in my first match. It’s great to play some matches and get the feeling for the grass. I usually don’t play during the
week before a Slam but I decided to change that for Wimbledon this year. The grass season is so short and it’s important to play some matches to get ready. I’m happy with my game so far. But on grass there are often surprises. So on the paper I might be the
favourite, but if you look at my results on grass during the last two years it’s not that clear.”
The world number 10, Wawrinka swiftly bagged his entire serves without facing any hindrance. He cashed the lone break chance in the fourth game and clicked the opener with a 6-3 win.
Wawrinka maintained consistency in his game in the following set. He exchanged a break of serve in the last two games and took the set to a tie-breaker. The Swiss edged past Lorenzi in it and sealed the set with a 7-6(8) success.
Next up for Wawrinka is the French contender, Jeremy Chardy, who dumped Marius Copil in straight sets to set-up this battle. The Swiss currently leads 3-0 in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series against the Frenchman.
The former Top 25, Malisse made a dismal entry at this Wimbledon warm-up event. He suffered the first blow in the sixth game and subsequently lost the opener with a 3-6 score line.
Ranked 60th in the Emirates Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Malisse turned the tables on Lu in the second set. He lost his serve once but cashed three break chances to grab the equaliser with a breadstick.
In the deciding set, the Belgian stayed focused despite losing his serve in the fourth game. He capitalised on two break chances and clinched the decider with a 6-4 score line.
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