"Old man can still play" - Stan Wawrinka in high spirits after beating World No. 10 Frances Tiafoe at Cincinnati Open

Stan Wawrinka outclassed Frances Tiafoe in the second round at the 2023 Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati on Wednesday, August 16.

Wawrinka bettered the No. 2 American in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, in one hour and 18 minutes. The Swiss veteran converted three out of five breakpoints and hit only two unforced errors compared to Tiafoe's 13 to wrap up his second top-10 win of the year. He utilized his signature one-handed backhand and aggressive baseline play to get his fourth win against Tiafoe in as many encounters. At 38 years old, Wawrinka is now the oldest player left in the draw.

The three-time Grand Slam champion is one of four players aged 35 or above to enter the third round in Cincinnati. The others are Adrian Mannarino (35), Novak Djokovic (36), and Gael Monfils (36). He highlighted the age factor on social media after his match with Tiafoe, stating that he still has the fuel left to go toe-to-toe against younger rivals.

"Old man can still play," Wawrinka tweeted.

Stan Wawrinka, who received a wildcard to compete at the Masters 1000 tournament, will next face Max Purcell of Australia in the third round. The Swiss is the third-oldest player to reach the third round of a Masters 1000 tournament since 1990, after two such runs by Serbia's Ivo Karlovic.

In his post-match remarks, Wawrinka dubbed his win against Tiafoe his "best match" of 2023, adding that he was satisfied with his movement on the court, serve, and fighting spirit. He hopes to continue his excellent form to go deep in the tournament.

"It's been probably the best match of the season, I think, the most complete match. I was feeling good, moving well, serving well, being aggressive, staying with him, fighting. I'm super happy and hopefully I can keep playing that well," Wawrinka said.

Stan Wawrinka reached his first final since 2019 at the 2023 Croatia Open

Stan Wawrinka

The Western and Southern Open is Stan Wawrinka's first tournament after the Croatia Open in Umag, where he reached his first ATP tour final since the 2019 Antwerp Open. The Swiss was seeded No. 6 and did not drop a set until the final match.

He bettered Filip Misolic, 6-3, 6-2, in the first round; Federico Coria, 7-5, 6-1, in the second round; No. 4 seed Roberto Carballes Baena, 6-4, 7-5 in the quarterfinal; and No. 2 seed Lorenzo Sonego, 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinal. This set up a final clash against Aussie Alexie Popyrin, who bettered Wawrinka in a three-set thriller 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 to lift his second career title on July 30.

While Wawrinka's quest for his 17th career title continues, he has managed to climb to World No. 51 after an impressive showing in Umag. The former World No. 3 won his last title on the ATP tour at the 2017 Geneva Open.