Wawrinka out

SHANGHAI. — Australian Open tennis champion Stan Wawrinka crashed out of his second successive tournament at the first hurdle yesterday, losing his Shanghai Masters opener after squandering a 3-0 lead in the final set.
It was a misery for the fourth seed in Shanghai, who was in need of a morale-boosting victory after his last outing resulted in a first round exit at the Japan Open to 103-ranked Tatsuma Ito.

The world number four started brightly in Shanghai, taking the first set in his tightly-fought battle with Gilles Simon of France.

But his 29th ranked opponent fought back aggressively to stay in the match and force a decider.

The Swiss 29-year-old broke serve at his first attempt in the final set with a ferocious smash shot.

He then appeared to be cruising, pounding his chest with his fist as he entered the third game, which he won after saving two break points.

Simon, a former world number six, broke back at his next attempt and then forced his way to 3-3 in a marathon 10-minute game.

Wawrinka appeared to buckle under pressure three games later, meekly surrendering his serve without scoring a point before Simon marched to a 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 victory.

The results in Tokyo and Shanghai could undermine Wawrinka’s bid to confirm his place at the end of season ATP World Tour Finals, which involves the world’s top eight players. He is in fourth position in the Race to London but is desperately chasing points as he vies to hold off a closing pack who are all competing in Shanghai.

Only five berths remain for the London tournament, as Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have already qualified.

“Two first rounds. It’s never easy, for sure,” Wawrinka said.

“Two weeks. Didn’t win matches. But you have to accept that and see what was the problem.

“I need to accept, go back home, try to focus on the rest of the year because there is so many to play, so many big challenges for me, that I want to be fresh and ready mentally for that.”

The fifth seed in Shanghai, David Ferrer, also faced a tough battle in his opening match, but finally overcame Slovak Martin Klizan 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.

Klizan dumped Rafael Nadal out of the China Open at the quarter final stage last week, but could not repeat his heroics against his Spanish opponent at the Masters 1000 event.

Ferrer will play Andy Murray in the next round, after the British 11th seed won his match against Pole Jerzy Janowicz 7-5, 6-2.

Meanwhile, seventh seed Kei Nishikori and 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov both crashed out in their opening matches. — AFP.