Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka Rewrite History in Bordeaux Challenger Clash

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Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka met in the Bordeaux Challenger second round. The Swiss destroyed the Briton 6-3, 6-0 in an hour and 15 minutes for a place in the quarter-final, setting the clash against the 5th seed Ugo Humbert.

Stan and Andy wrote history as the first pair of Major champions battling in a Challenger match since Ilie Nastase and Jan Kodes in San Remo 1981! Wawrinka and Murray had 22 encounters on the ATP Tour between 2005 and 2022, and their Bordeaux clash was their first on the lowe-ranked events.

Andy has not been ranked 42nd for five years, winning a 175 Challenger in Aix-En-Provence on clay and hoping for more in Bordeaux. Instead, Wawrinka swept him off the court, playing well on serve and return to emerge at the top in under 80 minutes.

Stan scored a dominant win over Andy in their previous match on clay at the 2020 Roland Garros and produced a similar pace in this one. The Swiss served at 54%, but no one noticed that.

Stan Wawrinka toppled Andy Murray in 75 minutes at the Bordeaux Challenger.

He dropped 14 points in eight service games and defended the only break point he faced to keep the pressure on the other side. Andy had nothing in his arsenal to defend and stay in touch, losing over half of the points in his games and offering the fellow veteran 12 break points.

Stan seized four to control the scoreboard and sail into the quarter-final, hoping for more in the rest of the tournament. Wawrinka immediately settled into a fine rhythm, serving well and waiting for the return chances. Stan held at love in game three with a service winner and stepped in on the return in the next one.

The Swiss cracked a forehand crosscourt winner to secure a break and forge a 3-1 advantage. Wawrinka landed another forehand winner in game seven for a 5-2 lead and created five set points on the return in the next one! Murray stayed composed and denied them to bring the game home and prolong the action.

However, Stan left those chances behind and held at 15 at 5-3 with a volley winner at the net to wrap up the opener in style. Andy struggled on the second serve and dropped the set despite defending seven out of eight break points.

Things were only worsening for the Briton after spraying a forehand mistake at the start of the second set to push the Swiss in front. Murray placed a forehand wide in the third game to suffer another break and move further away from the finish line.

Stan held after deuce in game four for 4-0 and cracked a forehand down the line return winner in the next one to deliver his third straight break and serve for the victory at 5-0. Wawrinka saved a break point with a mighty serve down the T line and produced a bagel after Murray's wayward backhand to sail into the last eight.