(Rome) Stanislas Wawrinka quickly edged Ilya Ivashka 6-2, 6-4 in the first round of the Italian Tennis Open on Wednesday after the start of the match was delayed 90 minutes in due to rain.
At 38, Wawrinka is the oldest player in the main draw. However, he dominated Ivashka by slamming almost twice as many winning shots as him, including one when he had a match point. The Swiss at the same time concluded the meeting after just over an hour of play on Roman clay.
Wawrinka, holder of three career Grand Slam titles, will face in the next round the 26e seeded Grigor Dimitrov. The winner of this clash could possibly cross swords with the favorite, Novak Djokovic, in the third round.
Djokovic, who received a second-round bye, will begin his Italian run against Tomas Martin Etcheverry. The Argentinian ousted 18-year-old Frenchman Luca Van Assche – the youngest player in the world’s top 100, as he sits at 85e rank — 7-6 (7), 6-3.
Elsewhere, Marton Fucsovics beat Filip Krajinovic 6-4, 6-2 and Sebastian Baez beat Juan Pablo Varillas 7-5, 6-3.
Andy Murray will meet local favorite Fabio Fognini later today at Foro Italico.
On the women’s side, the American Sloane Stephens eliminated Nadia Podoroska 6-4, 6-1, and will have an appointment in the next round with the 14e seeded Victoria Azarenka.
