Stan Wawrinka shines in the opening round of the ATP 250 tournament in Stockholm. The Frenchman sweeps the American Brandon Nakashima, number 38 in the world rankings, off the court 6:4, 6:4.
Wawrinka started strongly and didn't let up. In the first set, he didn't concede a break point to the tournament's No. 6, he also managed to break serve early in the second and he never let the American sniff a break in the second set either.
Nakashima is an opponent who suits Wawrinka. The 39-year-old now leads 3-0 in head-to-head meetings against the 23-year-old, having already emerged victorious on hard courts in 2022 (Basel) and 2023 (in Cincinnati).
The Swiss will play in Stockholm thanks to a wild card and will get another chance to win two matches in a row for the first time this year. This would probably put him back in the top 200. His next opponent is Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina, number 64 in the world rankings. He has never played against the 25-year-old Spaniard.
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