With Federer in stands, Wawrinka makes winning start in Dubai

Forty-year-old Stan Wawrinka, the three-time Grand Slam winner who is competing in his final Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this week, rolled back the years on Centre Court to overcome Lebanese wildcard Benjamin Hassan in straight sets and become the oldest player to win a match in the Dubai tournament’s 34-year history.

Wawrinka’s record was previously held by his Swiss compatriot, the legendary Roger Federer, so it was fitting then that the 20-time Grand Slam winner was inside the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium to cheer on his fellow Olympic gold medallist.

“I’m not sure it’s the best record of his to have,” Wawrinka joked in his on-court interview as fans switched from cheering his every move to applauding an on-screen image of Federer, who won the title here eight times, including his last at the ripe old age of 37 in 2019.

“[The appreciation of the fans] is one of the reasons why I have kept playing for so long – to enjoy these matches and these tournaments. I’m super grateful to all those who came out tonight.”

Wawrinka looked far from a player ready to hang up his racquet as he beat Hassan 7-5, 6-3 and without dropping a single service game. That is not to say the German-born Hassan failed to put up a fight, but only that whenever he got close – and he forced three break-points across the two sets – Wawrinka seemed to go up a level. In both games where the Swiss looked like he might see his serve broken, he pulled an ace out of his bag to finish the match with nine aces overall.

“All good things have to come to an end,” Wawrinka said when asked why he is choosing to step away now when he evidently still has so much to offer. “Nobody can play forever and as much as I am passionate and still playing well, I know that it’s the right thing to do.”

Hassan, ranked World No289 and making his Dubai debut, revealed he was thankfully not aware of Federer’s presence until after the match, adding: “Stan played really good and was serving unbelievable. I had my chances to come back in the second set but unfortunately missed some returns. It was tough, but I’m happy with my performance. Lots of things to work on, of course, but overall, it was just a privilege to be here, to play my first match, and against Stan – it’s incredible.”

Asked in his post-match news conference whether he had taken the chance to speak with Federer at all, Hassan raised his hand in the air: “I’m never washing this hand again! He came to me and said ‘good match’ and I said ‘thank you’ in German. He looked a little bit surprised to hear that, but, yeah, I will always keep this hand dry now in the shower!”

Top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime made perfect start with a 6-3, 7-6 win over Zhizhen Zhang.

Auger-Aliassime broke in the opening game to take the first set, while Zhang saved five match points in the second before forcing a tie-break, where the world No. 8 sealed victory in 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Another Arab player was in action on Day One as Tunisian Moez Echargui also made his Dubai debut, taking on France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round.

In a match of the finest margins, Echargui – the highest-ranked Arab on Tour at 141, yet ranked 83 places below his opponent – forced three tiebreaks before Mpetshi Perricard edged the final set to progress 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4).

Having made his ATP 500 debut last week in Doha, this month is proving eye-opening for the 33-year-old North African as he embraces the experience of playing in such high-profile events. Echargui and his coaches are using the new opportunities afforded to him as a wildcard to improve and learn as much as possible against the world’s best players.

“Going on Centre Court and playing against top players, it is where we want to be, playing in these big tournaments, in front of these big crowds”, said Echargui, whose next stop is Indian Wells next week.

“Despite the result, I’m feeling really positive about it. I knew the match would be a hard one, so I just tried to stay focused all of the way through. I’m proud to represent my country and to represent all of the Arab World, especially here in Dubai. It’s such a privilege. It’s been fulfilling – a great experience.”