Stanislas Wawrinka outmuscles Guillermo Garcia-Lopez to reach final – Topshelf Open 2013
Swiss star, Stanislas Wawrinka, got the better of the Spanish contestant, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, with a breadstick at the Topshelf Open 2013 on Friday. He jolted down a 6-1, 6-4 victory against the former Top 25 to power into
the title-round at this ATP World Tour 250 series event taking place in s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
Seeded second in this event, Wawrinka showed his class and triumphed over the Spaniard in their eighth encounter. As a result, the Swiss maintained his winning record against Garcia-Lopez this season and improved to a 6-2 lifetime
in their FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series.
The Swiss veteran was quoted in a courtside interview after stealing the show, "I want to say that I can play really good on grass, I just need to find a way to win a few matches and get some confidence. I can say today I played
my best match of the tournament and I'm really happy for that. I really enjoy playing on grass and I think my game can fit really good on this surface."
Wawrinka cruised into the battle and with two breaks of serve, he pulled out the opener with a breadstick.
The Swiss challenger broke his rival’s opening serve and took the initial lead. He kept his entire serves with conviction and clicked the set with a 6-4 success.
Wawrinka will take on the former world number one, Lleyton Hewitt, in his opening match at the Wimbledon Championships.
The 28-year-old reflected, "He's one of the best grass-court specialists. It will be a big fight for me. It's a really good challenge and I'll really enjoy playing that kind of match. I'm sure it's going to be a good match."
The world number 10, Wawrinka will take on the French qualifier, Nicolas Mahut, in the final round.
Mahut comfortable started his match and held his opening serve with poise. He drew the first blood in the fourth game and jumped to a 4-1 lead. The French held his remaining serves through angled shots and clicked the opener with
a 6-3 win.
Ranked 240th in the Emirates Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Mahut maintained consistency in his game in the proceeding set. He availed two break chances to cruise to a 5-2 lead. Despite losing his serve in the very
next game, the qualifier cashed another break chance and sealed the set by winning six games to three.
The French veteran on the other hand secured a final berth for the first time since 2007. He reached the title-round at the Queen’s Club and at Newport in his career. Mahut is bidding for his maiden ATP World Tour title at this
grass court event.
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