AFP, TOKYO: Top seed champion Stan Wawrinka muscled into the second round of the Japan Open on Tuesday with a bludgeoning 7-5, 6-3 victory over Czech Radek Stepanek. Richard Gasquet became the highest-ranked casualty of the first round, the fourth seed skulking away after crashing to a 6-4, 6-1 defeat by Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut, while fellow Frenchman Benoit Paire upset eighth seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
French Open champion Wawrinka produced a dazzling performance in the Tokyo sunshine, the Swiss unleashing a series of jaw-dropping backhands that left his opponent shaking his head in disbelief. The spindly Stepanek wore the timid expression of a man hoping to avoid having sand kicked in his face by his hulking opponent, and Wawrinka’s one-handed backhand — one of the most potent weapons in men’s tennis — bullied the Czech into submission.
It effectively settled the first set as he chased down a decent Stepanek volley to whip the ball back past his opponent, breaking his resistance.
Wawrinka, who made his grand slam breakthrough at last year’s Australian Open after years spent in the shadow of countryman Roger Federer, delivered the coup de grace with his 11th ace to wrap up only his second win over Stepanek in six meetings.
Meanwhile, Australians Bernard Tomic and Sam Groth both retired after dropping the first sets in their respective first-round matches.
The controversial Tomic, who earlier this year launched a tirade against Australian tennis officials for a perceived “lack of respect” towards him, blamed sickness for throwing in the towel against American Steve Johnson while losing 6-3, 2-1. Groth sprained his right ankle while trailing Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 2-0. In other matches, Frenchman Gilles Simon, the third seed, beat Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny 6-4, 6-4 but compatriot Paire’s victory over Bulgarian Dimitrov — dubbed “Baby Federer” — was undoubtedly the result of the day.