MELBOURNE:
Stanislas Wawrinka held firm in a match of high drama to defeat an injured Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 and win his maiden grand slam title at the Australian Open on Sunday.
The eighth seed roared to two-set lead after top seed Nadal struggled with back injury.
Nadal, who was chasing his 14th major title, looked as if he might pull out, but he fought back to take the third set and force the match into a fourth set.
Wawrinka captured a break in the fourth set, surrendered it with a terrible service game but he stayed cool when it counted, serving strongly and sealing the win with an imperious forehand.
A relieved Wawrinka raised his hands in the air in celebration and went to console the Spaniard at his chair.
It was a stunning result for the top ranked Swiss, who had never taken a set off Nadal in their 12 previous meetings and won his first Slam title at his 36th attempt, the second longest wait on record.
“First of all, Rafa, I’m really sorry for you, I hope your back is okay. You are a great friend and a great champion,” said Wawrinka.
“For me it’s the best grand slam ever. I’m enjoying myself very much. A lot has happened in one year. Right now I still don’t know if I’m dreaming or not. We’ll see tomorrow [Sunday] morning.”
Wawrinka’s win was a rare shock at the top of men’s tennis after several years of dominance by the game’s top four players. The last outsider to win was Juan Martin del Potro at the 2009 US Open.
The triumph capped a remarkable fortnight for Wawrinka who became the first man in 21 years to beat the top two seeds at a grand slam since Sergi Bruguera pulled off the feat at the French Open in 1993.
Nadal says injury made win impossible
The 2009 champion Nadal shed tears at the trophy ceremony, overcome by the emotion of a roller-coaster match.
“The first thing I want to say is thanks to Stan, we have a great relationship and you really deserve it today,” he said.
Nadal has had injury problems in the past in Melbourne. He missed the 2006 and 2013 editions, had to retire injured in 2010 and was hit by a muscle strain during his 2011 defeat to David Ferrer.
“My team, I tried hard, thank you very much,” said the devastated Nadal.
Despite rallying to unexpectedly clinch the third set, with Wawrinka apparently unsettled by the medical timeout, Nadal said he was never going to win.
“I tried everything until the last moment, but it was impossible to win this way. The opponent is too good. I’m obviously disappointed and very sad about what happened. But that’s life, that’s sport.”
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