Hey there, fellow tennis enthusiasts It’s your girl Mia Johnson-Carter here, and I’m super excited to share some thrilling news from the ATP 250 event in Stockholm. Stan Wawrinka, the Swiss veteran and three-time Grand Slam champion, has proven once again that he’s still a force to be reckoned with on the court. At 39 and a half years young, Stan made a rock-solid start by topping the 6th seed Brandon Nakashima in a convincing 6-4, 6-4 victory.
Stan’s win was not just about his age; it was about his skill and determination. He served well throughout the match, dropping only four of 32 first serve points and defending his second serve nicely to save the only break point. Brandon Nakashima struggled behind the second serve, getting broken twice from seven chances offered to the veteran. Despite trailing in the shortest rallies up to four strokes, Stan overpowered his younger rival in the mid-range and most advanced exchanges to seal the deal.
The match began with Brandon making a slow start, defending a break point in the first game before struggling again at 1-1. Stan seized the initiative with a backhand crosscourt winner, creating three break chances in the third game and converting the first after Brandon’s double fault for an early advantage. The Swiss player continued to dominate with solid serves in games four, six, and eight, holding at love in each of those sets.
Here’s an image from the match:
In the second set, both players provided comfortable holds at the beginning before Brandon played a loose service game at 1-1. Stan denied two break points and wasted a game point but converted the third break chance after Brandon’s backhand error, opening up a set and break advantage. The Swiss veteran held at 15 in the fourth game after a forced error, cementing his lead and sailing toward victory.
Stan served for the win at 5-4 and faced the only break point after netting a volley. However, he denied it with a powerful serve and created a match point with a fine serve & volley combo. Wawrinka landed another powerful serve, sealing the deal and earning his best victory since September last year.
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