“It’s great to see Stan back, ” Novak Djokovic storms past his long adversary to reach the 16th straight Italian Open quarterfinals

This was the 26th meeting between both the players. Novak Djokovic leads the Head-to-Head record by a big margin as he has now won 20 matches between them. However, their last two contests were won by Stan Wawrinka with the last one coming at the 2019 US Open but this time it was the Serb who emerged as the ultimate winner.

Djokovic qualified for the tournament by defeating Aslan Karatsev in straight sets in the second round, while Wawrinka advanced to the third round after defeating Laslo Djere in three sets. Because of Djokovic’s ranking and domination, as well as Wawrinka’s lack of form, it was clear from the start who would win. In the end, the Serb did not disappoint, thrashing ‘Stan the Man’ in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. Djokovic has now reached the quarter-finals of the Italian Open for the 16th consecutive year.

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“He’s Stan Wawrinka, he can hurt you if you give him time”- Novak Djokovic

Wawrinka dropped his serve immediately away, as he appeared to be a step too slow and inflexible for large portions of the match. Wawrinka had been out of action for a year and is only playing his third tournament since his return to Rome. Djokovic gained the lead with a double break in round two, and Wawrinka’s brief comeback at the end of the match didn’t last long, as he immediately surrendered his service. Nevertheless, Djokovic will next face Felix Auger-Aliassime and needs just one more win in Rome to guarantee he will be world No. 1 heading into the French Open, which starts on May 22.

“It’s great to see Stan back, he won two matches, tough two matches, he is still physically not where he wants to be but nevertheless he’s Stan Wawrinka and he can hurt you if you give him time,” said Novak Djokovic after the match. “I managed to do well from the beginning, I moved him around the court and hold my serve pretty comfortably except for the loss of serve in the second set. Pretty much a very good performance, “ the Serb added shortly.

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