Stanislas Wawrinka rallies past Pablo Andujar in second round – Roland Garros 2012
Seeded 18th in the tournament, Stanislas Wawrinka, powered down the Spanish contestant, Pablo Andujar, in a four-set thriller at the French Open 2012, second of the four Grand Slam event held in Paris, France. He penned
down a 7-6(3), 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-1 score line against the Cuenca native to book a spot in the third round on Wednesday.
The Swiss number two maintained consistency in his game to outmuscle Andujar smoothly. He lost the second set in the tie-breaker but later perfected his game, eventually pulling out the victory with a breadstick.
As a result, Wawrinka assertively advanced into the next round and set up a date with the local seed, Gilles Simon.
Both contenders displayed exceptional skills and abilities in the opening set. Wawrinka coughed 14 unforced and hammered 19 winners but failed to carve out a break opportunity. However, he held his entire serves and took the set
to a tie-breaker. The Swiss jumped to a 4-1 lead in it before clinching the opener with a 7-6(3) score line in 53 minutes.
The world number 36 on the other hand rebounded in the following set. He drew the first blood in the second game and leaped to a 3-0 lead. Apart from losing his edge in the ninth game, Andujar remained focused and enforced a tie-breaker.
He edged past the Swiss in it and pocketed the set with a 7-6(4) win in an hour-long marathon.
Wawrinka sought his momentum in the third set and hammered blistering forehands to reel off the opening three games in a row before Andujar could hold on. He kept remaining serves and capitalised on another break chance in the
last game, subsequently clicking the set by winning six games to two.
Ranked 21st in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Wawrinka maintained his intensity in the fourth set. He jumped to a 3-0 with a break of serve before his opponent could come on the score sheet. The Swiss
stroke out the last three games and pulled out the set with a breadstick in almost half hour.
Up next for Wawrinka is the 11th seeded Simon who battled past the American wildcard entrant, Brian Baker, in five sets to progress at this event.
Tags: