LYON — Stan Wawrinka defeated Martin Landaluce 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 in the first round of the Lyon Open to claim his first ATP Tour victory in 156 days ahead of his retirement at next week's Swiss Indoors in Basel. The 41-year-old Swiss icon, who had not won on the ATP Tour since beating Raul Brancaccio at the Geneva Open in May, edged a man 21 years his junior in a deciding tie-break to end his losing streak.
Wawrinka was delighted to come through a tight battle in their second career meeting, having also beaten Landaluce in Saint-Tropez last year. "It’s not the first meeting, like you say; he’s young, I’m old. So I’m happy to get through; it was a tough battle, of course. Great to be here for the first time in Lyon, amazing atmosphere, so super happy with the match," Wawrinka said. Asked what pleased him most about the win, he added: "The victory! I had so much fun; I almost lost that one."
"Winning a tough one… I’ve lost many tough matches this year, so super happy with the fight. I think I served well; I was really focused, and I’m happy with the win," he said. Wawrinka also paid tribute to his coaching team for preparing him for the final two tournaments of his professional career. "Yeah, always behind me, so it’s great. We did a really good block; it’s my last two tournaments here in Lyon and Basel. It was important to be here, to feel good on the court. Of course, every match is a different challenge, so I’m happy with my level, with what I’m putting on the court; that’s the most important," he said.
Through to the second round in Lyon, Wawrinka will now chase his first ATP quarter-final of the season against top seed Flavio Cobolli. Cobolli received a bye into the second round and has yet to play a match at the event. The Italian leads their head-to-head 2-0, having beaten Wawrinka at the 2024 Shanghai Masters and the 2026 United Cup.