PERTH, Australia (AP) \u2014 Stan Wawrinka’s 40-year-old legs didn’t let him down over three-plus hours in his first singles match of a 2026 farewell tour on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Three-time Grand Slam singles champion Wawrinka beat Arthur Rinderknech of France, who is ranked 29th to Wawrinka’s 157th, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5). The match went 3 hours, 16 minutes.<\/p>\n
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Wawrinka announced in December<\/a> that this year would be his last on the ATP tour.<\/p>\n \u201cToday was a tough battle . . . it\u2019s amazing to come here for the first time, to have so much support,” Wawrinka said Saturday. \u201cTwenty years on tour, you kind of always play in the same place and tournaments. So for me it\u2019s amazing to have this opportunity this year to play in Perth.\u201d<\/p>\n Ahead of his first match, Wawrinka<\/a> said he hoped to improve on his current ranking and move back into the top 100 before he retires. His highest ranking was No. 3, achieved when he won the Australian Open in 2014.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy with the decision (to retire) and feeling at peace with that,\u201d Wawrinka said.<\/p>\n