Stan Wawrinka beat Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan 6-3 7-6 at the United Cup in Brisbane to give his country an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the tie on Friday. The 37-year-old Wawrinka showed glimpses of his best form to defeat an opponent 12 years younger than him.
Keep up that kind of a performance and Wawrinka might be able to trouble a few higher-ranked players in the upcoming Australian Open, where he won his first Grand Slam in 2014. But what were the keys to his win over the Kazakh at the Pat Rafter Arena?
#1 Wawrinka moved well in the first set:
Wawrinka moved very well for a man of his age in the first set. Bublik often used drop shots to drag the Swiss into the net, but Wawrinka was typically able to get up to the ball quickly enough to seize control of the rally. Wawrinka also rushed the net frequently himself to finish points with neat volleys. Bublik also managed to hit a few volley winners following his drop shots, but he was more often on the losing end in the forecourt.
The Kazakh imparted a lot of top spin to his forehand on a number of occasions in the first set, perhaps looking to force Wawrinka to slice his backhand, but Wawrinka’s groundstrokes from the baseline were often more clinical and accurate. The Swiss got the crucial break of serve in the sixth game of the set and then kept holding his serve to win the opener.
#2 Bublik cracks under pressure
There was plenty of high quality tennis for the fans at the United Cup to enjoy in the second set as both players played a number of wonderful groundstrokes. Bublik’s groundstrokes, especially off his forehand, were probably the more powerful, but Wawrinka was again more accurate and more than once he struck a down-the-line winner (off both wings) that just clipped the baseline before beating Bublik.
Bublik looked to dictate with his forehand and at times forced Wawrinka to defend desperately, but neither player looked particularly threatened on serve and it was no surprise when it had to be decided by a tiebreak. But Bublik could not maintain his level when it mattered most. Two clunky drop shots cost him as Wawrinka pulled out a fine 6-3 7-6, earning his first victory over the Kazakh and securing a 4-0 sweep for Switzerland in the process.
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