Defending champion Stanislas Wawrinka cruised through his first round match on Tuesday, defeating Marsel Ilhan of Turkey 6-1 6-4 6-2. Wawrinka comes into the Australian Open playing the best tennis of his career. A semi-final appearance at the ATP World Tour Finals, he played a key role in winning the Davis Cup in Lille and won his first title of 2015 in Chennai a week ago.
The first set was all about Stan, as he used his raw power to run Ilhan ragged. Ilhan, a double hander, often had to resort to the one-handed slice, such was the power and accuracy of Wawrinka’s shots. Wawrinka scored the early break and consolidated with his infamous backhand down the line and an ace to take a 3-0 lead. As the set progressed, there was the sense that Ilhan didn’t have the firepower to trouble Wawrinka, which allowed Wawrinka to consistently run around his backhand to take huge cuts with his forehand. Staring down the barrel at 5-0, Ilhan produced a deft touch at the net to open his account, but it proved too little too late as Wawrinka served it out for a twenty minute first set.
Wawrinka has a tendency to lose concentration which manifests itself in a flurry of unforced errors. Early on in the second set, it seemed like Wawrinka wouldn’t fall into this trap, he stalked around the court with an intense focus and his groundstrokes were played with such depth that Ilhan didn’t get a chance to dictate play. A double fault from Ilhan gave a break point which Wawrinka took with an impressive backhand pickup on the run and a 2-1 lead. The players traded holds from there, Wawrinka showed signs of frustration when he made errors, his high standards visible to all. He made nine approaches to the net in the second set converting six of them, relatively unusual for a player who has such a heavy baseline game. Trouble came as Wawrinka served for the set at 5-4, unforced errors and Ilhan’s better play combining to produce break points. Wawrinka served his way out of trouble, producing some second serve aces, and took it 6-4.
With trouble at the tail-end of the second set, it was difficult to see where the match was headed. Wawrinka stamped his authority on the set by carving out three break points in Ilhan’s first service game at 0-0. A sledgehammer of an inside-out forehand allowed him to take the third of them and smother any hopes of an Ilhan recovery. From there it was plain sailing, Wawrinka hit 18 winners and faced no break points, also rushing the net at opportune times and generally playing as a defending champion should, with confidence and an assured air. Wawrinka served out the match for a 6-2 set and the victory.
Those who doubt Wawrinka’s ability to defend this title would do well to note his attitude throughout the match. He played with controlled aggression and used his huge weapons to do the damage. His frustration was all positive, he knows that to defend his title, he needs to get these early matches done quickly and efficiently. As he said in his press conference after the match, “For sure it’s great, but it’s still the beginning of the tournament. First round. It’s just one match, now I need to be ready for the next one.” (Australian Open Press Conference, 2015)
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