Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka bowed out of his last Australian Open on Saturday, the three-times major winner losing 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 to American Taylor Fritz and soaking up warm applause as a muchloved former champion.
Stan Wawrinka rolled back the years, winning a five-set thriller against Arthur Gea to make the Australian Open third round for the first time since 2020.
'The only reason I come back is because of the love you (fans) give me'
Stanislas Wawrinka will hang up his racquet at the end of 2026, the three-times Grand Slam champion announced on Friday, bringing down the curtain on a 24-year professional career that saw him gatecrash tennis's elite during the sport's golden era.
Bencic and Paul coasted through the first set but won a total of just 12 points in the second set as the match went into a tiebreak.
Poland battled past Switzerland 2-1 in the United Cup final on Sunday to banish the pain of title-round defeats in the previous two editions and secure a long-awaited maiden triumph in the season-opening mixed-team competition.
Nick Kyrgios will only feature in the doubles at the Australian Open, which begins at Melbourne Park on January 18.
Seven-times Grand Slam champion Venus Williams thanked Australian Open organisers on Saturday for giving her a wildcard that will see the 45-year-old American become the oldest woman ever to compete in the singles main draw.
French veteran Richard Gasquet was also among eight men given wild-card entries.
Carlos Alcaraz made a winning start in his bid to claim a first French Open title
India will travel to the city of Biel for the World Group I first-round tie, which will be played on indoor courts from September 12.
Djokovic beats Wawrinka just before closing time
India's Yuki Bhambri and his American partner Robert Galloway secured a hard-fought victory but Rithvik Bollipalli's search for his maiden win in a Grand Slam main draw continued in the French Open men's doubles opening round, in Paris, on Wednesday.
Former US Open champion Stan Wawrinka said he still had the game for the grandest stage after the Swiss veteran became the oldest man to win a singles contest at the tournament since a 40-year-old Jimmy Connors in 1992.
'It's a different surface and I've not had much time to get used to this tournament so my expectations aren't that high.'
Defending champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz powered into the second round of the French Open on Monday.
Stan Wawrinka rolled back the years as the 38-year-old Swiss proved the old adage that class is permanent and form temporary by knocking out seeded Argentine Tomas Etcheverry.
Stan Wawrinka pulled off a stunning upset on Thursday, beating top-seeded Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the Moselle Open in Metz, France.
Rublev dug deep in the third set and was a break ahead but Fonseca showed incredible poise and maturity at critical moments to set up another tiebreaker.
Novak Djokovic said a majority of players believe favouritism is at play in the tennis anti-doping system.
Factbox on Italy's Jannik Sinner, who beat Germany's Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 in the Australian Open final
Simona Halep ended Beatriz Haddad Maia's dream run in Toronto
Wawrinka won the Australian Open in 2014, the French Open in 2015 and the US Open in 2016. He is a 16-time winner on the ATP Tour.
Three-times winner Serena Williams moved into the Toronto Open second round after beating Spain's Nuria Parrizas Diaz on Monday
The unpredictable nature of the 2024 US Open has turned it into one of the most thrilling Grand Slam tournaments in recent memory.
Wawrinka's last ATP title came in 2017 before the former world number three underwent knee surgery.
World No 30 has Monfils stepped in to replace injured Fabien Reboul
Gaston keeps French flag flying at Roland Garros.
Wawrinka has a quote from literary giant Samuel Beckett inked on his left forearm which reads: "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail Better."
Halep said she would not recover from a calf injury in time, Wawrinka underwent foot surgery that would rule him out of the Games
Last year, Andy Murray prevailed on four sets but the Briton has been struggling to find his A-game this season. Stan Wawrinka also believes he is playing better than a year ago.
Defending French Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka has revealed that his favourite nickname is 'Stanimal' which was given by tennis legend and Swiss compatriot Roger Federer.
Former World No 1 Azarenka, the winner of two Australian Open titles and twice a US Open runner-up, withdrew from last year's tournament at Flushing Meadows because of a child custody battle.
If Stanislas Wawrinka's hot streak extends another four days, the Swiss might be unstoppable in his quest for a second French Open title, three-time former champion Mats Wilander said.
In the women's draw, Angelique Kerber was knocked out in a 6-3, 6-1 defeat to Czech Katerina Siniakova while Coco Gauf won her first ever match on clay.
Wawrinka, who was making his first appearance since February after recovering from a persistent knee injury, committed 30 unforced errors as he struggled to rediscover his rhythm on his return to clay.
Jannik Sinner overpowered American Taylor Fritz in the final to become the first Italian man to win the US Open singles title.
French Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka will join Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal at this year's pre-Wimbledon warm-up event at Queen's Club, Aegon Championships organisers said.
Japan's Kei Nishikori dispatched error-strewn Swiss Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3 in a disappointingly one-sided clash at the ATP World Tour Finals on Monday.
Drained Medvedev pulls out of home tournament in Moscow
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