Defending champion Stan Wawrinka is through to the quarterfinals of the 2016 French Open after surviving a grueling encounter in the fourth round against Viktor Troicki. Wawrinka needed four sets – 7-6 (5), 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-2 – to finally notch the victory in that match. And now, the Swiss man will look for the same result when he takes on the unpredictable Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Read on below for a closer look at this bout.
For more tennis action, click here to see our preview of another quarterfinals showdown between Andy Murray and Richard Gasquet.
Stan Wawrinka vs. Albert Ramos-Vinolas Betting Preview
There’s no question that Stan Wawrinka should win this match. He has the advantage in power, experience, and efficiency. He displayed all those excellent qualities during his thrilling victory over Viktor Troicki in the fourth round. There, the reigning champion fired 67 winners and 19 aces, while also winning 71 percent of his first serve points.
Moreover, Wawrinka will surely be bursting with confidence here. He’s beaten Albert Ramos-Vinolas in each of their last six meetings. The most recent one just happened last week at Geneva, wherein Wawrinka destroyed the Serbian in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1. Another dominant performance from the Swiss man could be in the making.
A reason for concern, though, is Wawrinka’s carelessness. He’s averaging almost 40 unforced errors per match throughout the tournament. Wawrinka’s got to lessen his miscues if he wants to avoid ending up at the wrong side of an upset.
Wawrinka has won nine of his past 10 matches on clay.
Betting on Albert Ramos-Vinolas
Don’t count out Albert Ramos-Vinolas just yet. Yes, he’s the obvious underdog here and is still searching for his first ever win over Stan Wawrinka. But even so, the 28-year-old Spaniard has a fighting chance of shocking us once more in the tournament.
Ramos-Vinolas, who convincingly defeated the heavily-favored Milos Raonic in the fourth round, has nothing to lose here. That’s precisely the kind of attitude that he should and will be carrying with him. But of course, the World No. 55 will have to apply the necessary adjustments to his game as well.
To be specific, Ramos-Vinolas needs to control the pace and avoid getting into a baseline slugfest, which is precisely what Wawrinka loves getting into. A good mix of a patient and aggressive style of play should (hopefully) help Ramos-Vinolas give himself an opportunity to steal the victory down the stretch.
