Fans packed every available seat in KIA Arena and willed Wawrinka to victory, 12 years after he broke through for his first Grand Slam title at this very tournament.
After dropping the first set, he increasingly tapped into their support, breaking serve once in each of the second and third sets to take them, then recovering from 4-2 down in the fourth to prevail in a tiebreak.
He smacked 14 aces among 35 total winners, while also benefitting from the 67 unforced errors Djere sprayed throughout the three-hour, 20-minute encounter.
And the result earned him his first Grand Slam main-draw win since Wimbledon in 2024.
“It was amazing. It was full, a lot of support for me. It’s always extra energy to receive so much support, especially here. The atmosphere is really special,” Wawrinka commented.
“It helped me a lot and I’m super happy to get through this one.”
In Gea, Wawrinka faces an opponent who is flying after winning three matches in qualifying and then extending his winning streak to four by beating Lehecka.
The 21-year-old Frenchman has won nine consecutive sets so far at Australian Open 2026.