Stan Wawrinka (Photo : Getty Images)
Stan Wawrinka will attempt to break his losing streak against Grigor Dimitrov when the two face each other at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio on Thursday.
Second seed Wawrinka looked less than in top form when he opened against American Jared Donaldson at the Cincinnati Masters. Wawrinka, who skipped the 2016 Rio Olympics due to a back injury, had to overcome the 19-year-old Donaldson to advance into the third round following a 2-6 6-3 6-4 win.
With Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic out of competition, Wawrinka has better chances of winning his first ATP 1000 Masters title this year. However, the 31-year-old Swiss admitted it is an opportunity to seize if his back can hold out.
''I had to take some days for rehab,'' Wawrinka said, reports the Tennis Magazine. ''I took eight days off from tennis and started playing last Monday.''
It was the first competitive match for Wawrinka since losing to Kei Nishikori at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, but his road to redemption has a major roadblock when he meets Dimitrov in Round of 16 of the tournament.
Dimitrov narrowly escaped with a three-setter win against Spain's Feliciano Lopez during their second round clash. The 25-year-old Bulgarian dropped serve twice in the opening set, but gained control in the final two sets, earning a 5-7 6-3 7-6(6) victory in a match that lasted two hours and 35 minutes.
Dimitrov and Wawrinka have already faced each other five times, with the former leading by 3-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head singles matchup. It has been a while since Wawrinka won against Dimitrov, who dominated the Swiss in their last three meetings, most recently in 2015 at the Madrid Open.
The winner between Wawrinka and Dimitrov could face either Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Steve Johnson in the quarterfinal stage. Tsonga defeated Reilly Opelka in two tight sets 7-6(5) 7-6(3), while Johnson won a three-setter over France's Julien Benneteau 3-6 6-2 7-6(5).
Live streaming info and score updates
Watch 2016 Cincinnati Masters: Stan Wawrinka vs Grigor Dimitrov live via TennisTV. Live score updates will be available during game days at ATP World Tour's official website.
