By Chris Oddo | Sunday October 11, 2015
Stan Wawrinka captured the Tokyo title, taking down his good friend Benoit Paire in straight sets.
Photo Source: Atsushi Tomura/Getty
Stan Wawrinka stayed perfect in finals for 2015, easing past longtime friend Benoit Paire 6-2, 6-4 in Tokyo to win the Rakuten Japan Open title on Sunday.
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The title is Wawrinka’s 11th, and fourth of 2015, and he becomes the first Swiss player to win in Tokyo since 2006 when Roger Federer defeated Tim Henman in the final.
Wawrinka converted all four break points he saw, including three in the first set, and saved three of four against Paire to earn the victory in 65 minutes.
Under a closed roof due to inclement weather, Wawrinka took the first set in 26 minutes, despite being broken in the fifth game by Paire. Wawrinka saved two break points in the third game of the second set and kept pressuring Paire until he finally cracked in the tenth game. The Frenchman dumped a dropper into the net to give Wawrinka his first break point of the set then double-faulted on match point to end festivities at the Ariake Coliseum.
Afterwards, the good friends had a hug at the net and celebrated their trophies with a commemorative selfie.
Wawrinka improves to 11-9 in 20 career finals with the win; he has gone 7-0 in his last seven finals (he was 4-9 in finals prior to 2014). Paire drops to 1-3 with the loss.
Raven Klaasen and Marcelo Melo took the doubles title, 7-6(5), 3-6, 10-7, over Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah.