Wawrinka Shocked in Madrid
The third ranked player in the world and defending Australian Open Champion Stanislas Wawrinka saw his Mutua Madrid Open tournament come to a halting stop on Tuesday night as Austrian qualifier Dominic Thiem pulled off a major upset and defeated Wawrinka 1-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Wawrinka seemed in control early on, racing out an early first set lead and eventually winning the set easily at 6-1. However, the 20-year old qualifier stood strong, saving all three of his break points and capitalizing on three of his four chances, winning the second set 6-2 to force the third set.
Thiem broke Wawrinka’s serve in the final game of the third set to clinch the victory and stunning all in attendance, including himself.
“I cannot really believe it," said Thiem. "I was in this famous zone during the match. I was unbelievably concentrated. I think that's how you can play these very good matches, if you are 100 per cent concentrated and 100 per cent out on the court."
Thiem admitted being a little star struck early on, but rebounded very nicely in the second set to control the match from there on out. It was the first time Wawrinka lost a tournament opener since last October.
"I was hesitating with my game and he went for it and deserved to win," said Wawrinka. "He's a good player. We all know that. We all see that, especially since the beginning of the year. I'm not surprised because I know him."
It was the first time a 20-year old defeated a player ranked as high as third since Juan Martin del Potro beat both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the 2009 U.S. Open.
Up next for the youngest player in the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP rankings is the winner of the Wednesday match between Mikhail Youzhny and Feliciano Lopez for a spot in the quarterfinals.
