Stan Wawrinka defeats Grigor Dimitrov in US Open first round
Three-time Grand Slam champion defeats Dimitrov in first round for second Grand Slam running
Monday 27 August 2018 21:34, UK
Former champion Stan Wawrinka underlined his comeback to form with a dominant victory against eighth-seed Grigor Dimitrov.
The Swiss, ranked world No 101, missed last year's edition and struggled on his return to the sport earlier in the season following knee surgery, but reached the Cincinnati Masters quarter-finals to signal his confidence was on the up.
Wawrinka, who defeated Dimitrov in four sets in the Wimbledon first round, proved too strong for the Bulgarian winning 6-3 6-2 7-5 in his first match back on Arthur Ashe Stadium since he won his third Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows in 2016.
"The last time I played on this great court, I won the title so it was great to be able to come back and play again," said the 33-year-old.
"The level was really high, there were lots of emotions out there. It's always tough to play your best in the first round."
The former world No 3, a wildcard this year, was broken only once as he eased past Dimitrov in two hours and 26 minutes to book a second-round meeting with France's world No 139 Ugo Humbert.
Wawrinka broke seven times while only losing his serve once against his out-of-form opponent and downplayed his medical time-out early in the third set.
"It was very humid and I felt something," he said. "I am just coming back from injury so you never know how your body will react."
Milos Raonic also progressed to the second round with a hard-fought victory over Argentina's Carlos Berlocq.
The big-serving Canadian hit a colossal 26 aces and 63 winners to win 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 1-6 6-3 as he set up a meeting with France's Gilles Simon.
John Isner also started impressively as he defeated compatriot Bradley Klahn 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 6-4 while another American Jack Sock ended a frustrating run of first-round defeats at the last four Grand Slams with a 6-0 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 win against Argentina's Guido Andreozzi.
Karen Khachanov, seeded 27th, is part of a strong NextGen contingent aiming to impress and the Russian defeated Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3 6-2 6-3.
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Tennis is back on Sky Sports screens with the Laver Cup in September while we will also have coverage of the ATP Finals in November with every match live on Sky Sports. But first, we will be across the final major of the year in New York as the US Open gets underway on August 27, right through to the final with live blogs, reports, features and reaction.
