Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka crashed out of the Italian Open in the first round on Tuesday after a humiliating defeat to 18-year-old Italian...
Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka crashed out of the Italian Open in the first round on Tuesday after a humiliating defeat to 18-year-old Italian Lorenzo Musetti.
The three-time Grand Slam winner, the 10th seed in Rome, lost 6-0, 7-6 (7/2) against a player ranked 249th in the world.
Wawrinka, at 35 the oldest player in the tournament, fought back after trailing 2-0 in the second set, but it was already too late to regain control.
Musetti had only played one tour-level match before facing the former world number three in Rome, ousting Wawrinka after one hour and 24 minutes.
“I have seen him play on television and I know he is a very tough player,” said Musetti, who will next meet Kei Nishikori in the second round.
“I’m going to enjoy the victory before I start thinking about my match against Nishikori.”
Musetti, the youngest player in the table, was born in 2002, the year Wawrinka took his first steps on the professional circuit.
His coach, Simone Tartarini said before the match it was an “impossible mission” for his young protege.
“But Lorenzo likes this kind of situation, so he’s very motivated,” he said.
Like Rafael Nadal, Wawrinka has given up on the American hard court tour at Cincinnati and the US Open.
His only competition since...
