Wawrinka blasts through Murray in French Open

 

Stan Wawrinka took an hour and 37 minutes to beat Andy Murray 6-1, 6-3, 6-2, in a near-empty Court Philippe Chatrier in a cold and eerily quiet opening to the 2020 French Open.

It was Murray’s heaviest defeat at a grand slam after the one Rafael Nadal inflicted on him in the 2014 semi-final – and nearly three hours shorter than the last time Murray and Wawrinka met, in the 2017 semi-final.

“I’ll keep going,” Murray said, revealing he will play at Cologne next and then prepare for the Australian Open in January.

“Let’s see what the next few months hold. I reckon I won’t play a match like that between now and the end of the year.”

Speaking about his win at courtside, Wawrinka said: “A bit simpler than I expected. The operations he had, they made a difference. I have a lot of respect for Andy. I had operations too. OK, it is not a full crowd today, but I hope the fans enjoyed the game, even in the cold conditions.”