Wawrinka Beats Dimitrov, Turns Focus To Khachanov

Stan Wawrinka will try to push his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Karen Khachanov to 3-0 when the two meet in the second round of the Coupe Rogers in Montreal.

The 34-year-old Wawrinka beat Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-4 on Monday to set up his third meeting with Khachanov, the sixth seed at the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 event.

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Wawrinka hit 12 aces and won 86 per cent of his first-serve points (31/36) to win for the sixth time in 10 tries against the Bulgarian. Wawrinka is playing for the first time since he fell in the second round of Wimbledon to American Reilly Opelka. The Swiss won the 2014 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters for his only Masters 1000 title.

“It was a great match. I’m really happy. It’s always difficult to play against Grigor, but I think I served really well. I was aggressive on the court. I’m happy with the match and with the atmosphere. It’s always amazing to come back to Montreal,” Wawrinka said. “I did a lot of practice, I put in a lot of hard work to be at a great level… I’m happy with where I am right now.”

German Jan-Lennard Struff continued his strong season with a 6-2, 6-2 victory against wild card and 2014 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Struff dominated on serve, saving the only break point he faced, and the World No. 35 won 51 per cent of his return points, breaking four times.

Struff will play No. 13 seed Nikoloz Basilashvili, who fought past Monte-Carlo finalist Dusan Lajovic 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Basilashvili has won six consecutive matches after celebrating his second Hamburg European Open title last month.