MELBOURNE PARK — Two decades after his main-draw debut and twelve years removed from his iconic Australian Open triumph over Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka, 40, authored a new chapter in his storied career with a hard-fought first-round victory. The Swiss wildcard, who has announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2026 season, overcame Serbia’s Laslo Djere in a grueling four-set encounter lasting three hours and twenty minutes. After dropping the opening set 5-7, Wawrinka mounted a characteristic comeback, securing the match 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) to the roaring approval of the Show Court Arena crowd.
The emotional victory marks Wawrinka’s first Grand Slam win since Wimbledon 2024 and his first in Melbourne in five years. At 40 years and 296 days, he becomes the second-oldest man to win a singles match at the Australian Open, trailing only Ivo Karlovic’s 2020 record. In a post-match reflection, Wawrinka acknowledged the weight of the moment, stating, ‘The passion is still intact but I’m not young any more… It’s so special for me to enter the court and enter a Grand Slam. I’m a competitor so I’m always going to fight.’
The latter half of Day Two emerged as a showcase for veteran resilience, contrasting an earlier session marred by injury retirements. Joining Wawrinka in the second round was 37-year-old Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion and 2018 Australian Open finalist. Cilic delivered a breathtaking performance against Germany’s Daniel Altmaier, storming through the first two sets 6-0, 6-0 in a mere 50 minutes and winning 13 consecutive games. He narrowly missed achieving a rare ‘triple bagel’—a 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 scoreline last accomplished by Sergi Bruguera at the 1993 French Open—as Altmaier rallied to force a third-set tiebreak, which Cilic ultimately claimed 7-6(3).
The victories set compelling second-round matchups: Wawrinka will face French qualifier Arthur Gea, who ousted 17th seed Jiri Lehecka, while Cilic is slated to challenge Canadian 21st seed Denis Shapovalov.