French Open champion Stan Wawrinka is through to the third round of this years US Open in New York, as he fought past Hyeon Chung of South Korea in three very tight sets, all resulting in a tiebreak. The match was of a high quality, and even though the Swiss wasn't at his best, he battled through and performed when it mattered.
Early break for the Swiss
Wawrinka kicked off this second round encounter with a very quick service game sealed with an ace, then heavy deep hitting put pressure on Chung. A great cross court backhand follow by a powerful forehand to backhand exchange won by Wawrinka gave him a break point. With a netted backhand from Chung, the two-time Slam champion grabbed hold of the early break.
He consolidated the break quickly with some more heavy serves and another ace. Chung's next service game was tight, as Wawrinka continued to put pressure on him from the back of the court with firing returns, but with some good tactical work at the net, the South Korean got himself on the board for the first time. 1-3.
Tight finish in the first set
Despite starting his service game with another ace, Wawrinka committed a few unforced errors in a row in a sloppier service game, giving Chung the break straight back. Not overpowered by the dominant Swiss, Chung had countless winners, firing backhands down the line, and working well at the net when needed. Both men continued to hold serve, Stan with his near-perfect serve, and Chung with some reliable deep groundstrokes.
Errors from Wawrinka when serving at 4-4 gave Chung a break point, but two aces let him escape from a tight game. His serve was used today to get him out of trouble- it was very dependable. A firing cross court winner from the Swiss let the first set be decided in a tiebreak. Wawrinka got off to a strong start with an incredible lob, giving him the first mini-break for 2-0. An amazing reaction at the net from Chung handed it back shortly afterwards, but his advantage didn't last long as an error let the Swiss snatch it back. With his 25th winner of the set, Wawrinka wrapped up the first set 7-6.
Early break for Chung
After a strong first service game for the 19 year old, a few errors from Wawrinka gave him the early advantage, breaking immediately. Despite pressure from the other end of the court, Chung then consolidated his serve with a volley winner. An amazing forehand down the line winner from Stan that just found the corner sent him up 30-15 on his serve, but a backhand winner from Chung closed it down as he continued to put pressure on him. A nice serve allowed Wawrinka to close it out, but it wasn't easy. Chung held to love for 4-1, with the momentum firmly in his favour, as he handled the pace perfectly.
Second Set- Wawrinka breaks back
A great rally with backhand exchanges with Chung pounding to Wawrinka's backhand was handled very well from the Swiss as he gave himself a look-in and a spark of confidence. With an error from the South Korean, Wawrinka broke back with a big 'Come on!'. It was a long game, but eventually the Swiss consolidated his break of serve with a firing forehand winner soaring cross court to level the scoreline at 4-4. Both players continued to hold simply for the next few games, with the momentum swaying, until Wawrinka had a break point at 5-5. Chung was calm and tactical, saving it, and the second set was sent to another tiebreak. Wawrinka grabbed the immediate mini-break with a forehand just clipping the baseline, and won the next two points due to unforced errors from Chung. With his 18th ace of the match, Wawrinka won the tiebreak and was sent up by two sets to love.
Even Third Set
In the third, neither Wawrinka or Chung were giving each other any look-ins during their service games. The Swiss continued to serve incredibly well, pulling out countless aces, and some quick work at the net let Chung win points against the less-agile Wawrinka. Chung had two visits from the trainer to massage his thighs, but his movement did not appear particularly compromised. Two down the line winners from Chung allowed him to hold at 5-5, and Wawrinka followed with three aces in one game to force his opponent to serve to stay in the match. An awesome deep backhand winner from Wawrinka was supplemented with a 'come on!' reaction, and he reached match point after another incredible cross court winner, but Chung save it with a good serve out wide to take the third and final set to a tiebreak once more.
Wawrinka kicked it off with an ace, his 24th of the match, and shortly afterwards, Chung's forehand landed into the net, giving the Swiss the first mini-break. The Swiss lost his mini-break quickly though, as he gave away yet another free point. His game was good today, but he still had too many unforced errors. However, he grabbed the mini-break back with a deep forehand, and his 26th ace sent him up 5-4. A gusty forehand winner on the line from Chung gave him a set point, but a huge 2nd serve from Wawrinka saved it. With another massive cross court forehand winner from the Swiss, he put himself just one point away from the third round. As Chung's shot drifted wide one last time, Wawrinka wrapped up the set and the match 7-6, 7-6, 7-6.
The French Open champion wasn't at his best, but it was certainly good enough. It was a high quality match, and both players can be very pleased with their performance, especially Chung, who at only 19 years old has a very bright future ahead of him. Wawrinka will face Bemelmans in the third round, who advanced due to Jack Sock's retirement today.