Swiss star Stan Wawrinka, who had ended up on the losing side in every one of his two past ATP conflict experiences with Daniil Medvedev of Russia in Grand Slam competitions, organized an enamoring rebound succeed at the Australian Open on Monday. The 6-2, 2-6, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 win over Medvedev has helped the Swiss affirm a place in the quarter-finals.
“That was an amazing match and an amazing atmosphere,” Wawrinka said in his on-court interview as cited by an ATP Tour Press Release.
“It was tough to play against Daniil. I had to raise my level in the fourth and fifth sets. The level was super high and the atmosphere is always something special here in Australia,” he added.
“I’m finding solutions. I was losing a bit of confidence in the second and third sets and was fighting against myself to play my game. I had to fight, stay positive and I’m happy with the result,” he stated.
Strikingly, this will be Wawrinka’s fifth quarter-final in Melbourne and his first on this occasion since 2017. Wawrinka will be facing either Alexander Zverev of Germany or Andrey Rublev of Russia in the quarters.
While Wawrinka has a 1-1 ATP Head to Head record against Rublev, he is yet to win a match against Zverev.
“As a tennis player and tennis fan, I always try to watch the big matches. It’s going to be interesting to see them play,” Wawrinka said.
“It’s amazing for me to keep playing here and to play at that level. I’m proud of what I’ve done on the court and I’m looking forward to playing in the quarter-finals,” he added.
Wawrinka was in the peak of his form when he began the match as he upset Medvedev’s flat groundstrokes effortlessly utilizing different angles. He was the better player at display in the opening set of the match.
Notwithstanding, Medvedev retaliated amazingly well to claim the next two sets. In the fourth set, which was the most secure of all, Wawrinka held on to his nerves in the pressure situation to go past his rival and brought the momentum into the final set.
Not long after, Wawrinka got his first match point and he required no second invitation to arrive at the quarter-finals, completing the match with upwards of 71 champs against his name.
