Wawrinka Moves Past Ivashka On Rainy Day in Rome

| by Alfredo Bassanelli

Stan Wawrinka will be playing in the second round of the 2023 Italian Open in Rome after navigating a first-round clash with Ilya Ivashka.

The start of the ATP 1000 event in the Italian capital was far from ideal for the Swiss player. When Wawrinka arrived in Rome, he slammed the tournament organizers for the 'worst transportation service', but soon, he had to switch his focus to a first-round match against Ilya Ivashka.

At the previous event in Madrid, Wawrinka lost in the second round to Andrey Rublev and after the tournament, he admitted that he may need to lose some weight to regain top his level. But the three-time Grand Slam champion looked as fast as ever when he cruised past the Belarusian in Rome.

But their match didn't begin at 11 AM local time as scheduled. This year's Italian Open is facing a tricky situation with the weather forecast being far from ideal. However, the match eventually began at 12:30 PM as players walked onto the Center Court.

Italian Open Rome In Jeopardy Amid Scary Weather Forecast
Italian Open Rome In Jeopardy Amid Scary Weather Forecast

Wawrinka lost three of his last four matches, while Ivashka lost in his last three and so for both players, it was a great chance to regain confidence. Overcoming the rain delay, the Swiss player came out firing, winning his service games easily while troubling his opponent when returning.

Thanks to that, Wawrinka was able to create a total of four break points in the second, fourth, and eight game, and after using two, he was comfortably able to win the first set 6-2. In the second set, a bit too many raindrops appeared on the court as the match faced a possibility of being suspended.

However, it was able to continue and so was Wawrinka in his journey into the second round. Ivashka had one break point in the second set, but since his opponent saved it, he couldn't find any response to Wawrinka's break in the tenth game as the three time major winner won the match 6-2, 6-4.

Up next, he will take on the 26th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov, and in the third round, he may see the first-seeded Novak Djokovic. The two were on a collision of course already in Banja Luka, but back then Wawrinka lost to French prodigy Luca van Assche and it may be his Serbian friend who may play against the Frenchman in the second round in Rome.

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