(AFP PHOTO / SAEED KHAN )
Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka recorded his first Grand Slam championship title after defeating Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open men’s singles finals on Sunday at Melbourne Park.
The 28-year-old Wawrinka won 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in a two-hour and 21 minute-long match of four sets, to register his first victory over Nadal after 13 meetings.
World No.1, Nadal, lost his bid to win his 14th major title after being obstructed by a left lower back injury. Although he left the court for treatment during the second set, he did not serve well after his injury.
The Spaniard revealed after the match that his back began to bother him before the match; however, it worsened after the first set. Nadal stressed that he did not want to retire: “I hate to do that, especially in a final,” he added.
Wawrinka settled his game early with clear hitting before Nadal sustained his injury during the second set.
However, in the third set Nadal battled on after treatment, but it seemed that he was moving with less freedom. Nadal pounced and broke the Swiss, who committed numerous errors after losing his focus, and won the set.
In the fourth set Wawrinka closed the match and recorded his victory after serving strongly.
This is the second time for Nadal to lose the Australian Open final after an injury kept him from winning in 2012.
The top seed, Nadal, reached the finals after beating Swiss Roger Federer in a spectacular display on Friday. On the road to the finals, Nadal also overthrew Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Andy Murray.
Through his win, Wawrinka was elevated to World No.3 and the first Swiss No.1 other than Federer, who fell to World No.8, the Australian Open official website reported.
