Wawrinka, with 50 winners, survives after over 3 hours against Skatov in Bucharest

Stan Wawrinka is making the most of his late career. The Swiss player, who just turned 40, is competing in the ATP 250 tournament in Bucharest this week. In the Romanian capital, the three-time Grand Slam champion, who received a wild card, faced a manageable first-round match against Timofey Skatov, a Kazakh qualifier.

However, the match was no walk in the park for Wawrinka, despite a strong start. After quickly erasing an early break deficit, the Swiss took control to claim the first set.

He carried the momentum into the second set, leading 4-2, but then lost focus. Skatov capitalized, fought back, and won the tiebreak, dragging his opponent into a tense third set.

The deciding set was a rollercoaster. Skatov broke Wawrinka’s serve, only for the Swiss to strike back immediately. But the Kazakh remained sharp and served for the match at 5-3. The 2015 Roland-Garros champion then shifted into high gear, dominating the third-set tiebreak (7-1) to advance to the second round (6-4, 6-7, 7-6 in 3h17).

Still, Wawrinka expended significant energy and will need to recover quickly, as he faces second-seed Pedro Martinez in the round of 16. With 50 winners (against 30 unforced errors), Wawrinka secured his first main-draw win on the ATP Tour in 2025.