Stan Wawrinka survived a scare to reach the third round of the US Open while Andy Murray lost to Fernando Verdasco
New York: US Open 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka survived a scare to reach the third round of the US Open. He beat Frenchman Ugo Humbert 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-3 7-5 while battling the scorching heat at the Flushing Meadows.
Wawrinka and everybody present to watch the match were surprised with the 20-year-old Ugo Humbert's tenacity.
Wawrinka, who was unable to defend his 2016 US Open title after undergoing two knee surgeries last year, said that he still has the ability and that he is playing good tennis.
BBC quoted Wawrinka saying, "I'm 33 years old, it's the first time after big surgery that I'm pushing myself that much, but in general, I think I did enough hard work to know and have confidence in my fitness."
"I think there is good chance that I'm playing better the next round than today, so I'm positive with that," he further added.
Wawrinka will face Milos Raonic next.
However, 2012 US Open winner Andy Murray wasn't as lucky and crashed out after losing to Spain's Fernando Verdasco. He fell 7-5 2-6 6-4 6-4 to the Spaniard. In their fifteen meeting, this is Verdasco's second only victory over Andy. He last won against Andy back in 2009 Australian Open.
Andy gave a tough fight despite coming back from a hip surgery.
Andy was also furious with the organizers over the fact that Verdasco was talking to his coaching team, which is against the rules advised by the tournament director.
Agence France-Presse quoted Andy saying, "I'm not blaming Fernando and his team, they probably weren't trying to break any rules."
This happened during the 10-minute break that has been put in place due to the 'extreme heat' policy by US Open officials.
Last Updated Sep 9, 2018, 10:17 AM IST