Stan Wawrinka playing a forehand shot during one of his encounters last year. (Getty Images)
3-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka takes on Australian qualifier Aleksandar Vukic in the round of 128 of the 2023 Indian Wells.
The 37-year-old did not have a great start to 2023. He competed in the Australian Open but his campaign ended in the first round following a loss to Alex Molcan. Wawrinka won 2 out of the first 3 sets but couldn’t capitalize on the lead. In the ATP Rotterdam Open, Wawrinka fought hard to defeat Alexander Bublik in the round of 32. The Swiss veteran went on to comprehensively beat Richard Gasquet in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, Jannik Sinner defeated Wawrinka in straight sets.
Prior to the Indian Wells, Wawrinka took part in the Open 13. Once again, he managed to reach the quarterfinals. This time, he defeated Zizou Bergs and Richard Gasquet during the campaign before losing to Arthur Fils.
The Australian tennis pro started the season with a first-round exit in the Challenger event in Canberra. In the Australian Open, Vukic was ousted in the first round by Brandon Holt. In the Dallas Open, Vukic couldn’t go past the first round of qualifying. The Delray Beach Open followed where Vukic progressed to the main draw from the qualifiers and was ousted in the second round by Radu Albot.
Vukic took part in a couple of Challenger events recently. In Rome, he was ousted in the round of 16. In the second one in Waco, he progressed to the quarterfinals where he lost to Alex Michelsen.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0 as the two players have never faced each other as yet.
Prediction: Stan Wawrinka to win in straight sets.
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