Stan Wawrinka won the on-court battle against Holger Rune and then also came out on top when the Dane tried to get him to say something controversial after their match at the Indian Wells Open.
After struggling with injury the past few years, Warwrinka is slowly but surely regaining form and he notched up his 550th top-level win with a 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 victory over rising star Rune in the third round of the ATP Masters 1000 event.
It was the duo’s second meeting in the space of four months as they also met in the first round of the Paris Masters in November last year and on that occasion Rune came out on top.
It was a spicy end to that match as Wawrinka had some “advice” for the teenager during their post-match handshake, saying: “My advice to you is that you stop acting like a baby on the court”
After their encounter in California on Monday, Rune tried to get the veteran to taunt him again as he asked the Swiss after the match: “You got nothing to say now?”
It was a mature response from the Swiss as he retorted: “What do you want me to say?”
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Three-time Grand Slam winner Wawrinka dominated the first set as he broke three times, although the seventh seed managed to break once.
The Swiss then looked like he would wrap it up two sets after going up a break in game eight and then had a match on his own serve in the next game, but Rune held firm, saved the match point and broke back before taking the tie-breaker.
Wawrinka found his rhythm again in the decider and a single break in game 11 set up the win.
“I feel good,” the former world No 3 said. “The last 45 minutes was tough. I had the match in control, was playing well. I was putting a lot of pressure, I should have won the match way before. I started feeling nervous and hesitated a little bit.
“He came back in the match. He is an amazing player, a young player. But it is special to keep winning. It was important to stay there mentally because I am playing well.
“I was trying to stay calm with myself. I lost to him already in Paris. All my career I know only one way. To keep fighting, working, pushing myself and stay positive. I am super happy with the win.”
The veteran will face 11th seed Jannik Sinner in the fourth round after the Italian defeated Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 and the winner of the Sinner-Wawrinka encounter will take on either defending champion Taylor Fritz or Marton Fucsovics in the quarter-final.
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