New Delhi: Stan Wawrinka extended his Australian Open 2026 stay with a thrilling five-setter win over Frenchman Arthur Gea at Melbourne Park. The three-time Grand Slam champion, who is making his last appearance at Melbourne Park, outlasted Gea to win a marathon match 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10-3) at the Kia Arena.
Wawrinka, who clinched his first Major in Melbourne in 2014 before winning the French Open in 2015 and the U.S. Open a year later, had announced before the year’s first Grand Slam that he would retire at the end of the 2026 season.
A crowd favourite in Melbourne, the 40-year-old Swiss superstar showed great resolve against an opponent 19 years his junior and rallied from a set down to draw restore parity in the second set.
Wawrinka rolls back the years
Gea reclaimed the lead after winning the third before the players traded breaks of serve in the fourth set, which Wawrinka won to take the game to a decider. The Swiss raced to a 2-0 lead in the fifth set before the Frenchman erased the deficit to level terms.
However, Wawrinka produced an inspired display, reminiscent of his younger days, to win the tiebreak to reach the third round for the first time since his 2020 quarter-final run at Melbourne Park. Wawrinka will next face American ninth seed Taylor Fritz, who made light work of Czech Vit Kopriva, sailing to a 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 win.
Sinner registers a statement win; Tsitsipas continues to struggle
Meanwhile, second seed Jannik Sinner continued his quest for a third successive Australian Open crown with a dominant win against local lad James Duckworth at the Rod Laver Arena. The world number two Italian produced a serving masterclass to win 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 and cruise into the third round, where he will meet the United States’ Eliot Spizzirri.
Elsewhere, Stefanos Tsitsipas’ bid to revive his dwindling career failed to take off after the Greek 31st seed was sent packing by the Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac after a gruelling four-setter which ended 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 at Stadium Australia.
Tsitsipas, a former Australian Open finalist, showed glimpses of his past brilliance, but his inability to remain consistent against Machac, who is fresh from the Adelaide International title last week, cost him the match.
After the shocking loss, Tsitsipas’s horror run at Majors continued. The former world number three has failed to get past the third round of any Grand Slam since 2024.
In women’s singles, four-time Grand Slam champion and two-time Australian Open winner Naomi Osaka overcame a second-set blip to defeat Romanian Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.