Stan Wawrinka and Borna Coric met in the second round of the Napoli Tennis Cup in Naples. The veteran played his last match as the 39-year-old and notched a notable 6-2, 6-3 victory in an hour and 43 minutes.
Thus, Stan ended Borna’s streak of 16 consecutive Challenger victories. Both players struggled to find the first serve, with Wawrinka landing in a miserable 38% of it! However, he denied eight of ten break points and kept the pressure on the other side.
Borna could not repeat the level that carried him toward three consecutive Challenger titles. The Croat dropped 53% of the points in his games and suffered five breaks from eight chances presented to his opponent, ending his run in the second round.
Stan Wawrinka qui bat un Coric en pleine confiance, à Naples 🥺
40 ans demain
L’ambiance dans le stade 🫶pic.twitter.com/AAGdzDy64x
— TennisTemple (@tennistemple) March 27, 2025
The veteran sprayed a backhand error in the first game of the duel and lost serve at 15. He bounced back in the second game and pulled the break back when Borna’s backhand landed wide. Wawrinka landed a powerful serve in the third game and denied a break point.
The Swiss held and made a push on the return in the next one. The 39-year-old welcomed the rival’s backhand error for his second break and a 3-1 advantage. The three-time Major winner secured the fifth game with an ace down the T line and extended the gap.
Stan Wawrinka & Borna Coric, 2025 Naples Challenger© Stream screenshot
The Croat squandered a game point in game six and suffered another break after the Swiss’ attack and a forced error. Coric pulled one break back at 1-5 to extend the set. However, he struggled behind the initial shot again at 2-5.
He missed a game point and allowed Stan to deliver his fourth consecutive break. The veteran fired a forehand winner and wrapped up the opener 6-2 in 46 minutes. Borna raised his level on serve at the beginning of the second set and provided two fine holds.
Stan Wawrinka & Borna Coric, 2025 Naples Challenger© Stream screenshot
Stan faced two break points in the opening game and erased them with winners. He held at love in the third game before experiencing more issues at 2-2. Coric attacked and generated three break points. Wawrinka saved them and denied the fourth with a backhand down the line winner.
The veteran held and gained confidence. He drew the Croat’s mistake in the sixth game and created a break chance. Borna missed another backhand, losing serve and finding himself in a challenging position. Stan landed a smash winner in the seventh game and moved 5-2 in front.
Umag 2023© Stream screenshot
Coric served to stay in the match in the eighth game and held after a deuce to prolong the battle. Stan served for the win at 5-3 and sprayed a forehand error to face a break point. The veteran saved it with a service winner and painted an ace for a match point.
The Swiss converted it after the rival’s backhand error, moving over the top and reaching the quarter-final.
Tennis World USA