World No. 7 Daniil Medvedev overcame a challenging first set to defeat Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka in a hard-fought clash between two former champions at the ATP Rotterdam Open.

The second seed battled to a 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-1 victory over Wawrinka, recovering from two set points in the opener to advance to the second round of the ATP 500 indoor hard-court event. This marks Medvedev’s first appearance at the tournament since he won the title in 2023.

In other Round of 32 matches, sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, playing on a wildcard, defeated French qualifier Harold Mayot in straight sets, 8-1, 7-5. Meanwhile, eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland dominated Italy’s Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-2 in a 77-minute battle on Centre Court. Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci also secured a place in the pre-quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Dutch player Mees Rottgering.

The Medvedev-Wawrinka encounter was the highlight of the round, with both players having previously lifted the Rotterdam title. Wawrinka, the 2015 champion, put up a strong fight but ultimately faded as Medvedev took control in the latter stages.

The 28-year-old Russian will next face Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci. If Medvedev goes on to claim the title, it would mark his first tournament victory since the 2023 ATP Masters 1000 in Rome and his first time winning the same event twice—having previously claimed 20 titles at different tournaments.

Having won their previous two ATP head-to-head meetings, Wawrinka entered the match with a clear strategy—engaging Medvedev in long rallies while maintaining an aggressive approach. The 39-year-old Swiss fended off a 29-shot set point, the longest rally of the first set, and proved highly effective at the net, winning 12 out of 17 points there, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

However, Medvedev emerged from a toilet break at the end of the first set with renewed intensity. The World No. 7 increased his aggression, forcing more errors from Wawrinka while significantly reducing the Swiss player’s winner count from 16 in the first set to just 5 in the second.

As the match progressed, Wawrinka struggled to replicate his early form, allowing Medvedev to close out the final set convincingly without facing a single break point.