By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, February 16, 2019
Wild card Stan Wawrinka pounded 35 winners warding off Kei Nishikori, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, to set up a Rotterdam final vs. Gael Monfils.
Photo: www.tennisimages.com/Henk Koster
Suspense and shotmaking escalated in a seesaw semifinal—until Stan Wawrinka unloaded the wrecking ball to finish one of the game's best finishers.
Stepping around a backhand return, Wawrinka walloped a final forehand down the line wrapping a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, win over Kei Nishikori to reach his second Rotterdam final.
More: Tsonga, Suffering From Sickle Cell, Out of Indian Wells
The top-seeded Nishikori carried an 11-1 record on the season into the semifinal and boasted a 128-41 lifetime record in third sets, but the 2015 Rotterdam champion played big and bold when it mattered most improving to 10-2 at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.
Wawrinka rapped eight aces and ripped several strikes down the line at crunch time defeating the world No. 7 for the sixth time in 10 meetings.
It was a tale of two disparate sets as Wawrinka went up 4-0 in the first set and Nishikori bolted to a 4-0 second-set lead. Both men dug in for some spirited rallies in the decider.
Ultimately, Wawrinka hit heavier pumping 35 winners, including 19 forehand winners, which matched Nishikori's total winner output.
Continuing his quest for a 17th career title and first since he won the 2017 Geneva crown, the Swiss wild card will meet Gael Monfils in tomorrow's final.
The acrobatic Frenchman fought off dangerous Daniil Medvedev, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, reaching his first final since he fell to Kyle Edmund in a third-set tie breaker in the Antwerp final last October.
The 33rd-ranked Monfils avenged a 6-2, 6-4, loss to Medvedev in last weekend's Sofia semifinals, snapping the Russian's seven-match winning streak.
Driving the ball with authority from the outset, Wawrinka forced Nishikori to counter from stretched positions.
The former US Open finalist, typically so precise from the ground, sprayed a forehand as Wawrinka earned the double break for 4-0.
Nishikori went old school to stop the shutout chipping a one-handed backhand approach down the line that slithered away from the Swiss for break point. Dipping a pass at Wawrinka's feet, Nishikori broke back for 1-4.
Though the return typically isn't his strong suit, Wawrinka was on it today earning 14 break points. Nishikori withstood the pressure sliding a forehand dropper into the short court to hold for the first time in the sixth game.
A sharp Wawrinka continued cracking the ball with venomous intent. Even when Nishikori guessed right and held his ground, as he did on set point, Wawrinka whipped a brilliant angled backhand winner smack off the sideline scoring his third break to snatch a one-set lead.
Setting the set aside, Nishikori began to find his timing and broke to open the second set. Moving more fluidly and taking the ball on the rise at times, Nishikori completely flipped the script banging out a second break for a 3-0 second-set lead then backing up the break.
Clinging closer to the baseline, Nishikori created sharper angles in the second set sometimes pushing the 33-year-old Swiss beyond the sidelines.
The top-seeded Japanese closed the second set with conviction stamping a love hold to force the decider.
Both players left the court for a clothing change.
The three-time Grand Slam champion came out cranking his serve in the final set.
Confronting the first break point of the set, Nishikori rebuffed three straight slice backhands from the Swiss, then accelerated his racquet through a forehand strike down the line to deny break point. That shot sparked a hold to level, 3-all.
Zapping his seventh ace, Wawrinka sealed the seventh game with a bang.
The pressure shifted squarely on Nishikori's shoulders when Wawrinka chipped an angled return to draw him in that scalded a stinging one backhand down the line in the 10th game.
On match point, the sturdy Swiss stepped around a backhand return and crushed a clean forehand winner down the line to close in two hours, 13 minutes.
Wawrinka has won three of five meetings with final opponent Monfils.