By Chris Oddo | Monday October 5, 2015
Stan Wawrinka opened his bid for the Tokyo title with a routine win over Radek Stepanek.
Photo Source: Rakuten Open
Playing in his first match since withdrawing from Metz with an ankle injury, World No. 4 Stan Wawrinka ousted Radek Stepanek, 7-5, 6-3, for his 44th victory of the season.
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The two-time quarterfinalist at the Rakuten Japan Open improves to 5-3 lifetime at the event.
The Swiss won his second straight against the 36-year-old Czech, hammering 11 aces and dropping only 7 points on serve, and improved his record to 2-4 lifetime against the former World No. 8.
After taking an early lead, Wawrinka did surrender a break while serving for the opening set at 5-3, but rebounded to break back and take the set in the 12th game when Stepanek double-faulted on set point.
The No. 1 seed, who fell in the first round last season at Tokyo, broke for 2-0 in the second set on a rifled forehand pass, consolidated in the next game for 3-0, and held serve the rest of the way, closing affairs in 1:17 with an ace down the T.
Wawrinka finished with 33 winners and 24 unforced errors, and will move on to face Japan’s Tatsuma Ito in the second round. Ito defeated Wawrinka for his only career Top-10 win last year at Tokyo, before falling to Benjamin Becker in the next round.
In other early results from the Rakuten Open in Tokyo, Marcos Baghdatis took out Fernando Verdasco, 7-5, 6-1, while Gilles Muller upset 5th-seeded Kevin Anderson, 6-2, 6-3.
Aussies Sam Groth and Bernard Tomic both retired in the second set due to injuries, with Groth falling 6-3, 2-0 to Jeremy Chardy and Tomic falling, 6-3, 2-1 to Steve Johnson.