Stan Wawrinka cannot confirm his improving form of recent weeks. After the semi-final in Stockholm and the round of 16 in Basel, he now loses earlier than hoped.
At the Challenger tournament in Bratislava, the 39-year-old from Vaud (ATP 149) lost 2:6, 6:4, 3:6 in the round of 16 to teenager Dino Prizmic (ATP 380), who is less than half his age. The Croatian had caused a stir at the Australian Open at the beginning of the year when he won a set as a qualifier against Novak Djokovic.
In what is likely to be his last match of the year, Wawrinka will play at the ATP tournament in Belgrade next week, where he will benefit from a wild card.