Stan Wawrinka has won his first ATP tour level match since February 2021.
The Swiss tennis start overcame Reilly Opelka 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 to reach the second round of the Italian Open in Rome.
He was competing in just his second ATP Tour match in 14 months after being sidelined due to a foot injury.
Wawrinka showcased vintage quality and grit, hammering forehands and blasting his trademark backhand with precision to advance after two hours and five minutes.
Down one set already, the 37-year-old looked set for a loss when he trailed the big-serving American 2-4 in the second set.
However, he started to consistently find Opelka’s feet on return and began to close the net more effectively to turn the match around in front of a lively crowd and level his ATP Head2Head series with the World No. 17 at 1-1.
Before his victory over Opelka, Wawrinka had not earned a match win since he defeated Pedro Sousa at the 2021 Australian Open.
Another tennis star still looking to find his feet since a return from injury in Dominic Thiem was not so lucky as Wawrinka.
Thiem played some of the best tennis since his return to the tour but it was not enough to overcome Fabio Fognini.
Fognini notched a 6-4, 7-6(5) win over the Austrian, who was seeking his first victory since reaching the third round at the same event one year ago.
Thiem drops to 0-4 on the ATP Tour in his return from a right wrist injury that kept him out of action for nine months.
