ROME: Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka(pix) picked up his first victory in over a year with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over American Reilly Opelka in the first round of the Italian Open on Monday.
The 37-year-old, who has tumbled from his best ranking of number three in the world to 350th, last tasted success in the opening round of the 2021 Australian Open when he beat Marton Fucsovics in five sets.
This year he had previously lost in the opening rounds in the only two tournaments he had entered, in Marbella then Monte-Carlo.
The crowd cheered warmly as the three-time Grand Slam winner completed victory over the world number 17 Opelka, a semi-finalist here last year, in just over two hours.
Wawrinka has had a longterm left foot injury that has dogged him since 2019.-AFP