Stan Wawrinka stormed into the second round of the 2017 French Open with an emphatic 6-2, 7-6 (6), 6-3 win over Jozef Kovalik on Wednesday. It was an excellent performance by the 2015 champion who needed just one hour and 57 minutes to oust the Slovak.
Playing in front of a partisan crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen, Wawrinka displayed the power and aggressiveness that made him one of the most feared players in the men’s game. He outhit Kovalik in the winners department, 38-23. That proved crucial especially in the latter stages of the second set wherein Wawrinka saved two set points in the tiebreaker.
Next up for Wawrinka is a round-of-64 clash with Alexandr Dolgopolov. For the Swiss star to grab a place in the third round, he will need to bring his aggressive style and continue his strong net play this coming Thursday. He won 78 percent of his net points (18-of-23) against Kovalik in the previous round. A reason for concern, though, is Wawrinka’s carelessness. He committed a whopping 33 unforced errors in the win against Kovalik. He’s got to lessen his miscues if he wants to avoid ending up at the wrong side of an upset.
If there’s one guy who can upset Stan Wawrinka in this year’s French Open, it’s got to be Alexandr Dolgopolov. They have played each other three times with Dolgopolov leading their head-to-head matchup, 2-1. Their first-ever meeting came on clay with Dolgopolov winning that 2011 encounter in Acapulco, 6-4, 7-6 (6).
A lot has transpired, however, since that clash with Wawrinka winning three Grand Slam tournaments, including the French Open. Make no mistake about it, though, Dolgopolov has the game and talent to trouble Wawrinka. He showed that in his first-round win against Carlos Berlocq, claiming the 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 victory in just two hours and 10 minutes.
For Dolgopolov to record a major shock in the second round, the 28-year-old needs to dominate with his service game. Dolgopolov’s serve was immense against Berlocq as he won 84 percent of his first serve points in that first-round match. Dolgopolov also excelled with his second serve, with the Ukrainian winning 22 of 41 points contested in that department.
Writer’s Prediction
Wawrinka (-700) edges past Dolgopolov in four sets.
