Wawrinka shows resilience in win over Evans in Indian Wells opener

Back in 2016, Stan Wawrinka won the third Grand slam championship of his career at the US Open with a surprising win over Novak Djokovic in the final.

However, if not for a misplaced overhead smash, the former world No. 3 would have been out of the tournament in the third round.

Daniel Evans of Great Britain had the eventual champion on the ropes in that tournament, earning a match point before Wawrinka staved it off. Then when Evans had an opportunity to earn another, he failed to put away an easy overhead and from there, Wawrinka would go on to win the set and the match in five sets.

Since that time, both of them have experienced their own setbacks as they’ve been forced down the rankings: Evans’ problems were self-inflicted as he dealt with a drug-related suspension, while Wawrinka has had to work his way back after suffering a knee injury.

So far in 2019, the two have been among the most consistent players on the ATP tour as Wawrinka reached the championship match in Rotterdam, while Evans did the same in Delray Beach.

For only the second time in their careers, the two met in the first round of this week’s tournament in Indian Wells and perhaps inspired by that epic comeback in 2016, Wawrinka pulled off another escape against Evans, taking the match in a tough three sets, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3.

In the opening stages of the first set, the two exchanged multiple breaks. Against Evans’ serve at 5-6, Wawrinka had set points, but the Brit managed to hold on and force a tiebreaker, which he won, 7-4.

The second set saw Wawrinka mount an early charge of his own and keep the momentum going, winning it 6-3 to level the match. The decider featured Evans trying to make a comeback, as he recorded multiple break points, but the three-time Grand Slam champion held them all off and served out the match up, 5-3.

Wawrinka, who reached the Indian Wells final in 2017, will now face the 29th-seeded Marton Fucsovics in the next round. Provided he gets past that, he could potentially see the man who beat him in that final, Roger Federer.