Stan Wawrinka was keen to look at the positives after his semi-final loss to Bosnian qualifier Mirza Basic at the Diema Xtra Sofia Open. At the conclusion of just the second tournament of his comeback after a knee injury that kept him out for six months, the 32-year-old maintains great perspective. “This week I was trying to be positive, trying to fight, knowing that I am not playing my best tennis but still had a chance to win, to make a final,” Wawrinka said. “I am sad with the result today but there are a lot of positives to take from the week.” Watch Live On TennisTV Watch Full Match Replays The 16-time tour-level champion is focussed on returning to the form that saw him...
Bosnian Mirza Basic had never made a tour-level quarter-final prior to the 2017 VTB Kremlin Cup, where he made the semi-finals. After a strong week at the Diema Xtra Sofia Open in Bulgaria, the qualifier moved into his second semi-final. But this time, after stunning top seed Stan Wawrinka on Saturday 7-6(6), 6-4, Basic will play in his first ATP World Tour final. He is projected to earn a spot in the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings for the first time at 26 years old. "I think I played a very, very good match. I was serving very good, so I think this helped me a lot," Basic said. "It's a big success for me. My first final after I...
Top-seeded Swiss Stan Wawrinka continued his bid for a 17th tour-level title on Friday, ousting familiar foe Viktor Troicki, the No. 6 seed, 6-1, 7-6(3) at the Diema Xtra Sofia Open. "I think my level is getting better," Wawrinka said. "I'm serving and moving better and it's a great win for me." The Swiss extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead against the Serbian to 9-0, with their most recent match coming in the third round of the 2017 Australian Open. Wawrinka, who is still on the mend after two left knee surgeries last summer, is into the 57th tour-level semi-final of his career (28-28). After getting pushed to three sets in his opening-round match, Wawrinka appeared in control of his...
If Stan Wawrinka was looking for a confidence booster, he definitely got one on Thursday. The Swiss, still on the road to recovery, overcame a shaky start to outlast Martin Klizan 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 at the Diema Xtra Sofia Open. Klizan pressed the action early and claimed the first set in 37 minutes, but Wawrinka settled down and battled back, managing to break Klizan in the fourth game of the second set. His confidence restored, Wawrinka broke again at 5-2 to close out the set. "I expected a tough match; he's already played a few matches here," Wawrinka said of Klizan, who qualified for the event. "I just tried to focus on my game, find the right shots and be...
Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller got the better of Italian Andreas Seppi for the fourth successive time on Thursday for a place in the Diema Xtra Sofia Open quarter-finals. In a tense seventh FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting, third seed Muller struck 23 aces to edge past Seppi 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(2) in two hours and 34 minutes. "To play Andy is never easy; he's a great competitor," said Muller. "In a close match like that, you have be lucky, and luck was a little bit on my side at the end. Overall, I'm happy with my performance." When asked about his comeback from a set down, Muller added, "You just have to hang in there. I had a few chances to come back...
