Australian Open: Defending champion Stanislas Wawrinka safely through in Melbourne
Thursday 22 January 2015 20:59, UK
Defending champion Stanislas Wawrinka received a testing workout as he defeated the big-hitting Marius Copil in the second round of the Australian Open.
The Swiss fourth seed was forced to contend with Copil’s explosive serving, including the fastest recorded serve so far this year, but edged out the Romanian in a 7-6 7-6 6-3 win.
Despite being ranked 190 spots below, Copil supplied a decent test and refused to give ground in the opening two sets before Wawrinka snatched the crucial points in the tie break.
Wawrinka finally mastered Copil’s serve in the third set, but only four points separated the pair over the course of the match on Margaret Court Arena.
"It was quite a tough match and happy to get through, especially in three sets," said Wawrinka, who will next face Jarkko Nieminen.
"The condition wasn't easy today. Quite hot. Really fast on the court and he was playing great. He was serving big, putting lots of pressure on me.
"I wasn't playing my best tennis, but I'm happy the way I fight today and win the match."
The 29-year-old, who upset Rafael Nadal in last year's final, was satisfied with the start of his title defence.
“Yeah, I'm happy with my game in general. To win first two matches in three sets, it's great," he said. "I'm playing great tennis. I'm practising well, feeling the ball well.
"If you want to get far in the tournament it can be two long weeks. So you need to be ready to have some ups and downs. So far it's been good tennis. I'm happy."
Fifth seed Kei Nishikori joined Wawrinka in the next stage after he defeated Ivan Dodig in four sets.
The Japanese player dropped the opening set, but broke the 86th-ranked Dodig five times on the way to a 4-6 7-5 6-2 7-6 win.
Nishikori hit 52 winners and made only 26 unforced errors while setting up a meeting with American Steve Johnson.
"Maybe these couple of matches I didn't play 100 percent, but I'm still winning good three and four sets," he said. "I think it's getting there.
"I'm playing good. For sure this match will help for my next match. Trying to be 100 percent little by little."
