WAWRINKA WINS

Stanislas Wawrinka has defeated Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday. Wawrinka won the match in the straight sets by 6-4, 7-5.

In the fourth round, Wawrinka will play against his compatriot and world no. 2 Roger Federer who defeated Ivan Dodig of Croatia to earn a place in the 4^th round. Federer injured his back a little bit while playing against Dodig, but, he confirmed in the post match interview that he will be fit to take part in the 4^th round match.

This was the 3^rd match between Wawrinka and Hewitt. Out of the previous couple of matches, both the players had won apiece.

Wawrinka got his first breakthrough in the 5^th game of the opening set. That breakthrough eventually proved to be sufficient for him to win the first set. He just kept on holding his serve after that and grabbed the first set by 6-4.

In the second set, Wawrinka again got a breakthrough in the 5^th game. But, this time, his advantage didn’t last long. Hewitt broke in the 8^th game to equalize the proceedings.

A double fault by Hewitt towards the end of the 11^th game gave Wawrinka his second breakthrough in the set. The Swiss player served out the next game which sealed the match in his favour.

After the match, Wawrinka said, “Lleyton is a fine player. We all know about his capabilities. So, getting a straight set victory against him is really satisfying. I did well on my serve and I also managed to time the return shots well.”

When asked about his next match against Roger Federer, Wawrinka said, “That’s going to be really tough. Roger has been in outstanding touch and he has been dominant in every match that he has played in this competition so far. I need to be at my peak if I have to go past him.”