By Alberto Amalfi | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, October 23, 2024
The 39-year-old Stan Wawrinka beat Adrian Mannarino for the first time making history as the oldest man to win a match in Basel.
Photo credit: AndersWiklund-TTNews-AFP-Getty
The blue Basel hard court is not the fountain of youth.
Veterans Stan Wawrinka and Roberto Bautista Agut continue to ride revitalizing waves at the Swiss Indoors.
Rublev on Health Scare: I Almost Lost My Ball
Strengthened by rousing home support, 39-year-old Swiss Stan Wawrinka broke in the final game edging Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in a thriller.
It's a milestone moment for Wawrinka, who is the oldest man to record a match win and Basel. He did it beating nemesis Mannarino for the first time.
Winless in three prior meetings vs. Mannarino, including a painful five-set setback at the Australian Open last January, Wawrinka went to work with purpose today.
The three-time Grand Slam champion pumped 13 aces and dropped just seven points on first serve in a two hour, one-minute victory.
It comes days after Wawrinka's run to last weekend's Stockholm semifinals.
Wild card Wawrinka, who is playing Basel for the 17th time, will face another left-hander, sixth-seeded American Ben Shelton for a quarterfinal spot.
The 2023 US Open semifinalist Shelton stopped Tomas Martin Etcheverry yesterday.
Empowered by his victory over Jiri Lehecka in the Antwerp final on Sunday, Roberto Bautista Agut achieved a personal first today.
The 36-year-old Bautista Agut scored his first career Top 10 win on an indoor hard court, toppling second-seeded Casper Ruud 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
It is Bautista Agut's sixth straight win and sends him into the round of 16 against Canadian wild card Denis Shapovalov.