ATP roundup: Wawrinka gets opening win in Russia

[September 18, 2018]  Stan Wawrinka, continuing his comeback from two surgeries on his left knee, opened his latest tournament with a win Monday.

The 33-year-old Swiss veteran defeated Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene 7-5, 7-6 (5) in the first round of the St. Petersburg (Russia) Open.

Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion currently ranked 88th in the world, improved his season record to just 14-14. He has advanced deep in just two of his 14 tournaments this year, making the semi-finals at Sofia, Bulgaria, in February and the quarter-finals at Geneva, Switzerland, in May.

A third-round loss in the recent U.S. Open marked Wawrinka's best Grand Slam result of 2018 even though he played in all four tournaments.

In the only other main-draw singles match Monday, Slovakia's Martin Klizan beat Russia's Evgeny Donskoy 6-4, 6-4.

The St. Petersburg tournament's top four seeds, including No. 1 Dominic Thiem of Austria, received first-round byes.

Moselle Open

Yannick Maden, a lucky loser from qualifying who gained a main-draw place when another player dropped out, took advantage of his opportunity and posted a first-round win in Metz, France.

Maden defeated fellow German Mischa Zverev 7-5, 4-6, 6-1.

 Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland serves against Milos Raonic of Canada (not pictured) in the third round on day five of the US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo

A 28-year-old ranked 120th in the world, Maden had posted just three previous ATP Tour wins this year, all in April -- two at Budapest, Hungary, and one at Munich, Germany.

Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis also advanced, edging past Germany's Maximilian Marterer 7-6 (1), 6-7 (1), 6-4.

No. 1 Kei Nishikori of Japan and the other players among the top four seeds got first-round byes.

--Field Level Media

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