WHAT HAPPENED: The draw gods can be out-and-out cruel. For the second time in 2018, Stan Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov found themselves standing on opposite sides of the net in the first round of a major, a three-time Slam champ versus the world No. 8 and reigning ATP Finals titlist. But Wawrinka made due with the cards he was dealt, holding off the 27-year-old Bulgarian, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5, in the Arthur Ashe Stadium opener on Day 1 at the US Open.
“The last time I was in this stadium was two years ago when I won the Open,” said Wawrinka, who didn’t seem affected by the heat and humidity. “To have a chance to come back on this court is amazing. I knew it was going to be a challenge against Grigor, but it’s great to be back here and to win on this court.”
Wawrinka arrived in Flushing Meadows an outsider of sorts. Unaccustomed to being ranked outside the Top 100 (No. 101), he’s fighting his way back to relevance after undergoing a pair of left knee surgeries that limited him to 37 matches last year and nixed his chances of a US Open title defense. But the now-healthy 33-year-old has certainly been moving in the right direction. He outplayed Dimitrov in their opening-round encounter at Wimbledon earlier this summer and looked in near-top form in narrow losses to Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in Toronto and Cincinnati, respectively.
Dimitrov would flinch first on Monday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Serving at 3-4 and facing triple break point in the opening set, the Bulgarian managed to fight off two, but double faulted on the third (one of seven DFs on the afternoon) to dig himself an early hole. Wawrinka carried that momentum into the second set, surging ahead 4-0 with a pair of early breaks.
Wawrinka had his lower back attended to three games into the third and final set, but it didn’t seem to affect his performance. He would convert breaks in the ninth and 11th games to distance himself, and closed out the match in two hours and 24 minutes.
A total of 42 unforced errors would haunt Dimitrov, who has yet to advance beyond the Round of 16 in eight appearances in Flushing Meadows. Wawrinka finished with 29 winners, including five aces.
WHAT IT MEANS: Next up for Wawrinka will be 139th-ranked Ugo Humbert of France, a 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 winner over fellow qualifier Colin Altamirano of the United States.
MATCH POINT: With his straight-sets triumph on Monday, Wawrinka pulled even with Dimitrov in career head-to-heads at 4-4.
