Stan Wawrinka stunned by Fernando Verdasco at Queen's Club
Tuesday 14 June 2016 21:00, UK
Stan Wawrinka's Wimbledon preparations took a blow as he suffered a first round defeat to Fernando Verdasco in the Aegon Championship at Queen's Club.
After Richard Gasquet crashed out on Monday it was the turn of second seed and world number four Wawrinka to suffer a similar fate as he was beaten 6-2 7-6.
For the Swiss star, working with 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek for the grass-court season, it is more disappointment on grass as Wawrinka seeks to improve on reaching the quarter-finals in each of the last two years at the All-England Club.
Another day of rain interruptions made for a greasy surface and it was Verdasco, a former Wimbledon quarter-finalist who made the brighter start, rattling through the first set with a double break of serve.
The 32-year-old saved all six break points he faced during the opening as Wawrinka struggled with the windy conditions that met the players after an almost two-and-a-half hour delay, with Verdasco leading 6-2 3-4.
Wawrinka improved in the second set but it was the Spaniard who got the better of the tie-break - a backhand winner bringing up four match points for Verdasco which he took at the second attempt to book his place in the second round where he will face Bernard Tomic who saw off Kevin Anderson.
Fifth seed Marin Cilic, a potential semi-final opponent for Andy Murray, advanced into round two with a three-set victory over Spain's Feliciano Lopez and sixth seed Roberto Bautista Agut is also through having coming through 7-6 6-7 7-6 against Sam Querrey.
Other winners on the day included qualifiers Donald Young and Adrian Mannarino, and lucky loser Jiri Vesely shocked France's Jeremy Chardy.
Janko Tipsarevic saw off Grigor Dimitrov in fading light, while with the darkness closing in Milos Raonic and Nick Kyrgios were level at one set all just before 9pm.
