'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Jaume Munar of Spain beat Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland 7-6 (3), 6-1 in the second round of the Swiss Open in Gstaad on Thursday (20th July). The match lasted for an hour and 25 minutes, with the 26-year-old Spaniard winning rather convincingly after a closely contested first set.
Munar will face Pedro Cachin of Argentina in the quarterfinal on Friday. Cachin is a good player on clay, but Munar will start as the favourite in that match, given his 3-0 record against the Argentinian.
On that note, let us take a look at two things that stood out in Munar's Round of 16 win:
#1. Wawrinka started off well, but Munar caught up with him:
Wawrinka began the match on a promising note, dictating terms with his forehand just as he did in his first-round match against Roberto Carballes Baena. He hit a few sizzling winners off his forehand and broke the Spaniard in the sixth game to go 5-2 up.
However, Munar then bounced back by getting a break in the ninth game to reduce the deficit to 4-5 and then held his serve to level the score at 5-5. The set then went into a tie-break that the Spaniard managed to win by hitting an ace on match point. Winning the first set was crucial, forcing the Swiss to try and bounce back from a one-set deficit.
#2. Munar raced through the second set, as Wawrinka started committing errors frequently:
The age difference between the two players became evident in the second set, as the 38-year-old Swiss started struggling with his movement on the court. Munar, on the other hand, moved quite briskly to take the upper hand in most of the rallies.
Wawrinka started hitting many shots long, gifting points to the Spaniard. Munar thus broke the Swiss twice in the second set and never lost his serve to win it at a canter.
There was a huge difference between the two players as far as winning points on the second serve was concerned. Wawrinka was able to win only 33% of the points on his second serve in the match, while Munar managed a much better 89%.
The Spaniard had nine break point opportunities in the match, of which four were converted. It was quite a dominant performance from Munar, setting him up a for showdown with Cachin. The quarterfinal clash will be a battle between two solid clay-courters, but Munar’s superior movement as well as his winning head-to-head against the Argentinian should keep him ahead.
