Stanislas Wawrinka tames Rafael Nadal to win maiden Grand Slam at Australian Open

Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka holds the trophy after his victory against Spain’s Rafael Nadal during the men’s singles final on day 14 of the 2014 Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 26, 2014.

We have a new Australian Open champion!

A bright light has emerged from the perennial shadow of the mighty Roger Federer. Stanislas Wawrinka has finally laid a marker of his own at Melbourne with a thumping display of attacking tennis. The world No.8 played near flawless tennis for much of the evening as he surged past the resilient Rafael Nadal to clinch his maiden Grand Slam title. Wawrinka took 2 hours and 21 minutes to achieve the near impossible and tame Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to take the Norman Brooks Challenge trophy.

On a brilliantly lit Australia day, neither the fireworks in the distance nor the difficulties facing his opponent could prevent the genial Swiss from marching towards a very well deserved victory. Wawrinka joins Juan Martin Del Potro (US Open, 2009) as the only man outside of the top four to have won a Grand Slam tournament since 2005. Wawrinka also became the first player since Sergei Bruguera in 1993 to defeat the top two players enroute to Grand Slam glory.

The heavy underdog needed a good start and Nadal, who won the toss, chose to receive. Serving first, the Swiss could not find his first serve, but swung his forehand with great freedom to hustle Nadal and take the first game. Not to be outdone, Nadal wasted little time to get on the board moving in with venomous purpose to finish the second game with a stinging forehand winner.

Wawrinka made the first move – aided by a double fault from Nadal, the Swiss scented an opportunity in the fourth game. With Nadal stuck at the net, Wawrinka struck a thunderous backhand that forced the error to earn two break points. He took it immediately, this time using his forehand to telling effect to gain the first break of the match.

Playing with a new found resolve, Wawrinka served out the next game drawing out the first ace of the match and a couple of service winners to take a 4-1 lead. Wawrinka had never won a set against Nadal in twelve encounters, neither that nor the fact that this was his first ever Grand Slam final impeded the Swiss.

Wawrinka earned another break point with a fine backhand volley winner in the sixth game, but Nadal found a service winner just in time to avert further damage. Wawrinka had held 33 straight games at this Australian Open and Nadal ensured he needed to do so one more time to earn the set by holding serve in the eighth game.

On the verge of winning his first set against Nadal, Wawrinka stumbled to 0-40 in the ninth game when Nadal punched a ferocious forehand into the far corner. But just as it seemed like the advantage might slip away, Wawrinka steadied his nerves to win five points on the trot, the last with an ace to seal the set in 37 minutes.

Impressively, the Swiss had done so despite only managing to get 38% first serves into play. Wawrinka had double the winners – 12 to 6 from Nadal and won all five points when he forayed to the net. Wawrinka won each of his first serve points and converted one of two break points to force Nadal on the defensive.

If Nadal expected a different tune at the start of the second set, Wawrinka surprised him by staying with him through a 22 shot rally before taking it with a stinging forehand winner. Another forehand winner followed and Nadal was down 0-30 in the first game. Wawrinka stretched Nadal on his forehand side to earn three more break points. A backhand return winner with both his feet off the ground earned him the break.

At 1-2 in the second set, still down a break, Nadal walked off court with the physio much to the consternation of Wawrinka. The Swiss had a lengthy altercation with the chair umpire, Carlos Ramos, even as Nadal received treatment for a suspect back. When he returned on court, Nadal was booed by the crowd and Wawrinka showed he hadn’t lost composure by holding to take a 3-1 lead.

Visibly discomfited by some problem, Nadal added another double fault as he stumbled to another break in the second set. Wawrinka seemed distracted by his opponent, but survived deuce in the next game to get within a game of taking a two set lead.

Nadal was quickly down a couple of break points in the next game, serving to stay in the set, but the Spaniard staved off three set points to force Wawrinka to serve out the set at 5-2. His nerves getting the better of him, Wawrinka started game eight with a double fault.

Wawrinka recovered quickly though to serve out an ace and a forehand winner to earn two more set points. The Swiss took control of the match by finishing with an ace to take the second set. The world No.8 improved his first serve percentage to 65% and reeled away 16 more winners to clinch the set.