Stan Wawrinka stuns Holger Rune in fiery contest at Indian Wells as pair once again trade words at net
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Updated 14/03/2023 at 06:57 GMT
Stan Wawrinka overcame Holger Rune in an instant Indian Wells classic, as the pair once again exchanged angry words at the end of the match. Wawrinka came through in three sets as his comeback to tennis continues. Meanwhile Felix Auger-Aliassime battled into the Last-16 of the event for the first time in his career, despite suffering a bleeding chin in the first set.
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Stan Wawrinka stunned Holger Rune in a fiery contest at Indian Wells as the pair once again exchanged words at the conclusion of the match.
After a set-to at the Paris Masters last year when Wawrinka appeared to chide Rune for "acting like a baby", there is clearly no love lost between the two players.
Things flared up after Wawrinka, 37, came through 6-2 6-7 7-5 against the 19-year-old to reach the fourth round at Indian Wells.
“You’ve got nothing to say now?” a smiling Rune asked Wawrinka after a handshake at net.
"Huh?” Wawrinka replied.
“You’ve got nothing to say now?” Rune asked again.
“What do you want me to say?” said Wawrinka, as both players shook the umpire's hand and walked away.
It was a meaningful match for both men, and one that Wawrinka dominated at the outset, storming to the first set in quick time as Rune struggled to get a foothold in the match.
Wawrinka had the chance to win in straights but blinked when ahead in the second-set tie-break, allowing Rune back in.
But after a long, seesaw decider, Wawrinka got it done, before the drama at the handshake.
Meanwhile, Felix Auger-Aliassime secured his place in the Last-16 with a straight-sets win over Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo.
Auger-Aliassime, the eighth seed, was the heavy favourite against Cerundolo but it was nip and tuck in the first set with the Canadian breaking first - in the very first game - but then seeing his advantage taken back by the dogged Cerundolo, who forged ahead at 5-4.
But the Argentinian was to win no further games in the set, as Auger-Aliassime found his rhythm to reel off three straight games.
The second set looked like it was going to be an altogether more straightforward affair for Auger-Aliassime, as he broke his opponent twice, the second time to go 5-2 up and the match seemingly at his mercy.
However Cerundolo battled on, rescuing what seemed a lost cause, bringing the score back to 5-4 and forcing multiple break points on the Canadian's serve.
Auger-Aliassime just couldn't seem to get over the line, hitting five doubles to that point of the second set alone, but finally he took one of his many match points to seal his victory.
Auger-Aliassime will meet Tommy Paul next, who thrilled his home crowd by recovering from a set down against Hubert Hurkacz to come through in three.
A break each early on saw the two reach the business end of the first set at 5-4 to the Pole, who - on Paul's serve - then pulled out the stops to take it on his first set point.
Paul was his customarily calm self as he fought back into the match, racing through the second set 6-2.
So into the decider it went, and though there were some tricky moments for Paul, he edged ahead at 4-3 and never looked back.
Also in action later on a packed Monday at Indian Wells are Andy Murray and Carlos Alcaraz.
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