Captain Wawrinka Clinches Opening United Cup Tie For Switzerland

Instead of ‘Captain Stan’, call Stan Wawrinka ‘Captain Clutch’.

Wawrinka clinched Switzerland’s first United Cup tie win on Friday when he defeated Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik 6-3, 7-6(3) in the No. 1 men’s singles match. Switzerland holds an insurmountable 3-0 lead with No. 2 women’s singles and mixed doubles still to come.

“I was super happy when they announced this United Cup, to have the chance to play for the Swiss with my teammates and everybody and to play here in Brisbane. Tonight was a great level,” Wawrinka said. “I’m super happy with the way I was playing. I’ve been working really hard to be back at a better level and I’m happy with the performance today.”

Entering the match, former World No. 3 Wawrinka was 0-2 in his ATP Head2Head series with Bublik, one of the trickiest shotmakers on the ATP Tour. But the Swiss star was sharp in his first match of the season, trading his captain’s hat for his racquet in a one-hour, 31-minute victory.

Wawrinka, who spent all of Thursday evening cheering for and providing guidance to his team, was locked in from the start against the big-serving Kazakhstani. The 37-year-old did not lose his serve in the match and did not allow Bublik to control the rhythm of their clash.

“Alexander is a great player, always tough to play. He has a tough game to play against, big serve. He’s always trying to put pressure, so for me it was important here on that court to be the aggressive player, to always show him that any opportunity I will have I will go and I will push him back,” Wawrinka said. “So I think I did a great job today and I am super happy to have won in two sets. At my age it’s not easy to keep playing too long, so it’s great.”

The Swiss won 85 per cent of his first-serve points and did not face a break point. Bublik had an opportunity to turn the tide in the tie-break, but two sloppy drop shots proved too much to overcome.

Wawrinka was happy to not only start off his own season on a high, but to do so for his country and his team in Brisbane.

“I think it’s an amazing experience to play this United Cup, to put women’s and men’s tennis together with the same country,” Wawrinka said. “To have the chance to be the captain, to see tennis in a different way, in a different position, I’m really enjoying [it].”