Fourth-seeded Stan Wawrinka began his journey to try and complete an elusive French double, the French Open and Paris Masters title. He defeated Bernard Tomic 6-3, 7-6(6) to keep the dream alive of completing the feat. The Swiss escaped a tight second set tiebreak which Tomic looked to be in control of in order to take in straight sets.
Early Break Does In Tomic
The Swiss opened up the match serving and took the early lead but that was without blowing a 40-15 lead first. Tomic was then broken in his opening service game after three consecutive unforced errors put him from game point to being broken. Wawrinka held quickly at 15 to consolidate the break.
The four seed was continuing to fire away on Tomic’s service games with back-to-back winners, one backhand, one forehand, to setup another break chance in the sixth game. The Aussie would save it with a fantastic serve out wide and would hold after saving two more break points.
Down 3-5, Tomic nearly found himself back in the set with a break chance at 30-40 but was unable to convert. An ace on deuce gave the fourth-seeded Swiss set point, and he would take the opening set 6-3 after the world number 18 hit a backhand long.
Sensational Stan Storms Back From Three Down In Breaker To Win In Straights
Wawrinka quickly found himself having to save a couple of break points to open up the second set but was able to hold. Both men were strong not just on serve, but from the back of the court as well. Wawrinka was using his favored backhand wing and his much improved win to force the Aussie to move plenty. Meanwhile, Tomic was dealing with the Swiss’ firepower with his defense to keep this match level.
Tomic had chances to extend this match into a deciding set. He quickly put himself into a 0-30 lead in the 12th game and his backhand slice volley set up set point for him. He did not seize the opportunity though as he sailed a backhand long. Wawrinka came up with the goods when it mattered the most to force the tiebreak.
The 23-year-old stormed out to a 4-1 lead in the tiebreak after a backhand winner and overhead consolidated his mini-break lead. Tomic looked poised to take the set after he ate up a Wawrinka second serve and knocked it for a forehand return winner for a 5-2 lead and a chance to serve out for the set. An overhead winner and an unforced error from Tomic had the set back on serve, just when it looked like the Australian had it in his grasp.
Back-to-back aces from the four seed gave him match point. An error kept Tomic in the match, but back-to-back errors of his own cost him the breaker and the match as Wawrinka clinched 8-6. Wawrinka is looking to become the first player since Andre Agassi in 1999 to complete the Paris double. Should he complete the feat, he would be only the second player in history to achieve the feat.