PARIS, Nov 3: Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka advanced to the second round of the Paris Masters by defeating Daniel Evans 6-3, 7-6 (3) on Tuesday. The 12th-seeded Wawrinka, a former No. 3, hit 35 winners to extend his record to 5-0 against his British rival. I was serving and moving well, said Wawrinka, whose best result at the indoor tournament was reaching the semifinals in 2015, the year he won the French Open.
Wawrinka dropped only seven points on his first serve and saved the two break points he faced in the third game of the opening set. He will next face either Gilles Simon or Tommy Paul. Also, Richard Gasquet defeated Taylor Fritz 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 to progress to the second round, and big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic beat Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-2.
The event is the final Masters tournament of the season. It is being held without fans because of lockdown measures implemented in France to slow the spread of the coronavirus. � AP