dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships has its first round matches started today. When it comes to a tennis event, there is nothing more thrilling than a big upset, especially in the very beginning of the tournament. Stan Wawrinka, the 2nd seed in Dubai and the defending champion, saw himself thrown away by Damir Dzumhur (77 ATP) of Bosnia. For the no. 1 Swiss, it was the first ATP event since the Aussie Open tremendous run. Once again, when the expectations were bigger, he failed to deliver what everyone was hoping for.
Wawrinka almost had the match in his pocket
The 31-years-old Swiss and his opponent from Bosnia had their very first encounter in the ATP World Tour. The opening set saw an eager Wawrinka making his moves on the tennis court as he quickly got the lead. At some point, he had a 4-1 lead in the opener but failed to keep up the momentum. Somehow, Dzumhur built his way back in the match and broke on Wawrinka's serve in the 7th game. Eventually, the set headed into a tie-break where the world no. 3 had no proper response. Being a set down, 2016 US Open champion saw his bid for defending the title threatened. The 2nd set went wild, and the 24-years-old Bosnian player took a consistent lead. Being 5-1 down in the set, Wawrinka had a last gasp of pride though it was not enough to allow him further survival.
Dzumhur sealed the set with a 6-3 surreal score. With Wawrinka out of the contest, the bottom half of the draw is now opened for further surprises.
Wawrinka is dropping again
The unfortunate outcome of today's match should not be such a shock. Wawrinka is that kind of player whom best qualities emerge when the stakes are enormous.
In the past three years, he has been in the spotlight when it came down to Grand Slams. He is a phenomenal athlete, but his mindset has multiple slips. For a guy who won 3 Grand Slam in singles since 2014, it's a bit unusual, but the chances for him to change are minimum. Back in the autumn of 2016, after his first US Open triumph, there were expectations regarding the indoor hardcourt swing but surprisingly or not he was far from getting near to them.
