In their first meeting at tour level, Swiss Stan Wawrinka defeated World No. 186 Aleksandar Vukic 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 after one hour and 22 minutes on Stadium 2 at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Playing his first matchup in Tennis Paradise since 2019, the three-time Grand Slam champion kicked off the second day of top-level action in Indian Wells, dropping one set en route to his triumph over the 26-year-old Australian.
Next, the 37-year-old will face 28th seed Miomir Kecmanovic on Friday for a place in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open.
World. No. 100, Wawrinka, entered the first Masters 1000 of the season with a protected ranking, having achieved his best result at the tournament in 2017 when he finished runner-up to countryman Roger Federer who claimed his fifth crown in the desert with a straight-sets victory.
Within 30 minutes into the opener, the Swiss player converted his first break point at a crucial moment in the ninth game to lead 5-4.
Serving for the set, strong behind his serve, he hit a forehand winner to seal the opener with a 6-4 victory in 34 minutes, winning 93 percent of the first serve points while his opponent won 85 percent on his.
In addition, he fired eight winners, committing seven unforced errors to 5 and 6 from Vukic, respectively.
Wawrinka found himself under pressure at the start of the second set and despite saving two break points in the second game, he couldn’t stop the Australian - who broke his serve, from earning a 3-0 lead.
Vukic went the distance breaking twice to extend his advantage to 5-1 and serve for the set without letting slip his chances.
The Sydney born-player moved on to close out 6-1 in 23 minutes, forcing a decider.
Magnus Norman’s pupil set off the third set strong, breaking early to take a 2-0 lead.
In the decider Wawrinka used his experience, holding his nerve and producing a double break to open a 3-0 advantage over his adversary.
On his way to the triumph, he would break again to serve for the match, claiming a 6-1 victory.
He finished with 17 winners to 16 unforced errors, winning 85 percent of the first serve points, converting 3 of 4 break point opportunities.
The week marks the 2016 U.S. Open champion’s return to the Top 100 for the first time since March 2022, when he began his comeback trail from injury to official competition.
A long recovery process which began in 2021 when he underwent two surgeries to treat a left foot injury and his Achilles heel foot, is already starting to pay off.
He is making his 12th appearance in the ATP Masters 1000 after reaching back-to-back quarterfinals in Rotterdam and Marseille.