Stan Wawrinka made to work for his victory at St Petersburg Open

Stan Wawrinka was given a tough workout by Aljaz Bedene in the opening round of the St Petersburg Open.
The three-time Grand Slam winner, who is still on the comeback trail after undergoing knee surgery, beat Bedene 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) in one hour and 49 minutes.
Starting the week off right ✅@stanwawrinka beats Aljaz Bedene 7-5 7-6(5) in St Petersburg to set up a second-round meeting with Karen Khachanov#spbopen pic.twitter.com/AjfLvn4x11
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 17, 2018
Next up for the Swiss veteran is local hero and fourth seed Karen Khachanov, who had a bye in the first round.
In the only other match on Monday, Slovakian Martin Klizan eased past Russian Evgeny Donskoy 6-4, 6-4 to set up second-round encounter against second seed Fabio Fognini.
French Open finalist Dominic Thiem is the top seed and he will only be in action on Wednesday.
More from Tennis365:
ATP betting preview: Take it to the Greek at 11/2 at the Moselle Open
Tennis Today: Another Serena Williams-laden edition, including bra sponsor claims
Serena Williams insists: I don’t understand what Patrick Mouratoglou was talking about
Serena Williams sexism claims: Alexis Ohanian hits back at ‘misleading’ NY Times article
Comment: Absence of apology from Serena Williams even more damning than US Open disgrace
Latest
-
Tennis News
Roger Federer sends his fans into a frenzy with Twitter post ahead of his return to action
Roger Federer fans are counting down to his return to action in Doha next week and his tweet teasing his return instantly became a big hit.
-
Tennis News
Iga Swiatek’s perfect week as she claims her second WTA title
Iga Swiatek won her second career WTA title with victory over Belinda Bencic in the final of the Adelaide International.
-
News
Jamie Murray says quarantine threat on tour means players must be ready to adapt
The doubles specialist plans to travel to tournaments in Mexico and Miami next month without knowing what to expect on arrival.
-
Tennis News
Battle of the Brits event is back and this time with spectators
The Battle of the Brits events were a huge success during the Covid-19 crisis and now they are set to return with spectators.
-
Tennis Features
The only way is up for Naomi Osaka as she looks to replicate hard-court success on clay and grass
Oli Jefford on the world being Naomi Osaka’s oyster.
-
Kevin Palmer
Britain’s strength in depth in doubles highlights quality of structure
British tennis may be wondering who can replace Andy Murray, but they have a very different story to tell in the doubles arena.
-
Tennis News
Rafael Nadal pulls out of his next event due to ‘ongoing’ back problem
Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the ABN…
-
Tennis News
Lleyton Hewitt to be inducted into International Tennis Hall Of Fame
Former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt is the latest player who will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
-
Tennis Features
Five of the best men’s matches at the Australian Open featuring Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Rafael Nadal, and more
The matches that made us sit up and take note.
-
Australian Open
Five of the best women’s matches at Australian Open featuring Naomi Osaka vs Garbine Muguruza, and more
Five of the best women’s singles matches at the 2021 Aus Open.