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Stanislas Wawrinka survived a big scare in the opening round of the French Open and needs to lift his game to get past Taro Daniel in the second. Join The Roar for live scores from 8:30pm (AEST).
The reigning French Open champion nearly saw his title defence collapse at the first hurdle, barely getting past Lukas Rosol in a tough, five-set encounter.
To be fair to Wawrinka, Rosol is one of the most aggressive players on the ATP tour and is known for causing an upset or two, as evidenced by his stunning win over Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon a few years ago.
Wawrinka did well to dig deep from two sets to one down, but he will need to come out of the blocks quickly against Daniel.
At just 23 years of age, Daniel is a rising star on the ATP tour, and should ask Wawrinka plenty of questions throughout the match.
The Japanese player has experienced most of his success thus far on clay, winning two challenger circuit titles in Italy and Germany last year. A wily competitor, Daniel has nothing to lose and should come out swinging against the reigning French Open champion.
Prediction
Of course, Wawrinka’s form will dictate the result. Blessed with a backhand that most players on the ATP tour envy, the Swiss star can put Daniel away quickly if he finds his range.
Wawrinka in three sets.
Be sure to join The Roar for live scores from around 8:30pm (AEST), following the Su-Wei Hsieh vs Petra Kvitova match.