Sinner Tops Wawrinka For First Tour-Level Grass Win

Jannik Sinner scored a pair of firsts on Monday at Wimbledon with his 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 first-round victory against Stan Wawrinka. The 20-year-old Italian earned his first win in his second Wimbledon main-draw appearance, with the victory doubling as his first tour-level victory on grass. 

“It feels amazing, obviously," Sinner said of the milestone win on Court 2. "It took a little bit, but I’m happy to be in the second round here. Against Stan, it was a very tough match because he is an incredible champion and he showed it so many times. I wish him all the best to come back stronger.”

After both men traded crushing baseline blows throughout two tight sets, Sinner's agility and consistency proved the difference in the third and fourth sets as the 10th seed ran out a comfortable winner. 

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The Italian finished with 42 winners to 33 errors and improved his court coverage throughout the match despite a few slips. Wawrinka looked to step into the court often, but even when he did gain a positional advantage, Sinner's persistent retrieving allowed the Italian to keep his footing in the points.

“In the end, [moving on the grass felt] much better," he added. "In the beginning it was tough, and with the sun also. But I’m very happy that in the end, I played better, I served better. So hopefully it can give me confidence for the next round.”

Sinner troubled Wawrinka on return throughout the match, converting on five of his 15 break points. The Swiss found a groove in set two to close it out with three easy holds following an early break, but never truly threatened in the final two sets.

After dropping serve for the second time in the match early in set two — he also failed to serve out the opening set at 5-4 — Sinner did not face another break point.

“I like to play best-of-five [sets], because you have many moments to change the game, change the rhythm," he explained. "I like to stay on court, which helps me a lot. A Grand Slam is different, the crowd is different. Here is special, so thanks for coming out and hope to see you guys also in the next round.”

Sinner next faces the winner of the matchup between Daniel Altmaier and Mikael Ymer, which will be completed on Tuesday. Sweden's Ymer leads 6-3, 7-5.

Wawrinka, just five tournaments into his comeback from a left-foot injury, was seeking his first grass-court win of the season. A two-time quarter-finalist at Wimbledon (2014-15), the Swiss was competing at SW19 for the first time since 2019. 

The 37-year-old now holds a 2-1 ATP Head2Head series lead over Sinner, with victories in 2019 at the US Open and in Antwerp.

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