[sc:AUS15-250 ]A shocking loss by Rafael Nadal in the first round of the Australian Open opened up plenty of opportunities for Stan Wawrinka’s side of the bracket. Wawrinka avoided an upset in the first round after Dmityry Tursunov retired due to a hip injury. He faces a very familiar opponent next, Radek Stepanek.
Stepanek is a tricky player to go against. He also knows Wawrinka all too well after besting the Swiss in the two’s first five head-to-head meetings. Can Stepanek use his tricky style to get Wawrinka off his game? Read on as we take a look at this tasty Australian Open matchup.
Get plenty more tennis action with our complete previews for David Ferrer vs. Lleyton Hewitt and Madison Keys vs. Yaroslava Shvedova.
[sc:TennisArticles ]Stan Wawrinka vs. Radek Stepanek Preview
Where: Melbourne Park, Melbourne
When: Wednesday, Janaury 20
Line: Stan Wawrinka (-1,200) vs. Radek Stepanek (+700) – view all Australian Open Men’s Singles lines
Betting on Stan Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka’s first match in the Australian Open didn’t really go as planned. He endured a very tough first set against Dmitry Tursunov before he really got things going in the second to finish 7-6(2), 6-3. Tursunov would later retire due to a problem with his hip before the start of the third round.
[sc:Other240banner ]Despite running into trouble in the first set, Wawrinka still showed plenty of his powerful serve. He fired off 14 aces and won 89 percent of his first serve points. He hit 36 winners and just 21 unforced errors. What hurt Wawrinka is his inability to finish off break points; he won just one of nine break points against Tursunov.
Wawrinka will need to be at his best when he meets veteran Radek Stepanek in the second round of the Australian Open. Wawrinka is 2-5 in his career against Stepanek. But he has seemingly found his groove against the tricky veteran as his two wins came in their last pair of matchups.
Wawrinka was all business in dispatching Stepanek in Tokyo last year. He fired off 11 aces and won 81 percent of his first serve points in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3, in October. The Swiss’ power should continue to be a factor in this matchup. He has won five straight matches on hard surfaces heading into the second round of the Australian Open.
Betting on Radek Stepanek
Radek Stepanek dispatched Tatsuma Ito in four sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2, in the first round of the Australian Open. He’s had a tough road to even qualify for the first round, needing to win three qualifying matches to enter the Australian Open.
Things get even tougher for Stepanek when he meets fourth seed Stan Wawrinka in the second round of the tournament. The two have met seven times in their caeers. Stepanek won the first five of those matchups, before losing the last two as Wawrinka steadily rose up the ranks of the tennis world.
Stepanek could be a dangerous opponent for Wawrinka. He’s an unorthodox player who could force extended volleys. Stepanek also has plenty of power himself after firing off 14 aces against Ito in the first round. He’s also a good returner, winning seven of 10 break point opportunities and 43 percent of return points in the first round.
Stepanek will need to lead this match with his service game, though. He won just 26 percent of return points against Wawrinka in their latest matchup in October 2015, a straight sets loss. But Stepanek also won 72 percent of his first serve points. If the Czech can break Wawrinka, then he should have a good shot at an upset.
Writer’s Prediction
There’s no stopping Wawrinka (-1,200). Wawrinka wins in four sets.
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