'Stan the Man' comes to the Grandstand at the Western & Southern Open

WATCH: Stan Wawrinka rolled back the years in a straight-sets win over Frances Tiafoe in Cincinnati.

CINCINNATI, Ohio—“Please welcome…Stan Wawrinka!” the emcee in the Grandstand here roared on Wednesday night. The 5,000 people packed into the mini-arena all turned their heads in the direction of the 38-year-old Swiss, who was standing at the top of a set of steps that lead down to the court. As the crowd began to roar, and music began to boom over the loudspeakers, Wawrinka was unable to contain a wry smile.

He lifted his right arm over his head, and walked down to start his second-round match against Frances Tiafoe.

It was an atmosphere and an intro fit for a pro-wrestling bout, and Wawrinka has earned a couple of stage names—Stanimal and Stan the Man—that would come in handy in a ring. He has also admitted that the reason he’s still on tour after 20 years is for moments like these: Basically, he lives for the applause. Feeling the energy in the building, who could blame him for wanting to be at the center of it? Tennis crowds love to root for their countrymen, and most of this crowd rooted for Tiafoe. But they also love to root for their old favorites, the people they’ve watched grow up, the ones who feel as if they’re family.

Like Stan Wawrinka.

A match between these two explosive but contrasting athletes was also fitting for this evening. Force is the name of the game for both. Wawrinka swings his racquet like an anvil, and Tiafoe is lightning on the run. Points between them were decided by immediate strikes: An ace, a reflexed return, a mid-court forehand buzzed into a corner, a well-floated drop shot. Any ball left hanging for more than a millisecond was sent packing.

The pre-game edge surely went to Tiafoe. He’s 13 years younger, and ranked 41 spots higher. But from the start, it was Wawrinka who was a step and a shot ahead of his younger opponent. He took Tiafoe’s best punches and either punched back harder, or defused them with low, paceless slices. Tiafoe is better known for his touch, but it was Wawrinka who used his drop more effectively. Wawrinka won 23 of 24 first serve points, hit 23 winners, made just two errors, and was broken just once. He also hit a serve 137 m.p.h. and brought out the old down-the-line backhand like it was 2015 all over again.

“I’m super-happy. I played super-good and was super-focused,” said Wawrinka after his 6-3, 6-4 win, which was over in a tidy, lethally entertaining 88 minutes.

Tiafoe walked back up the steps and out of the Grandstand looking dazed at what had just hit him. It’s been a disappointing summer for a guy who just recently cracked the Top 10. He lost in the third round at Wimbledon; to Dan Evans in D.C.; in the first round in Toronto, to 32-year-old Milos Raonic; and now to the 38-year-old Wawrinka in Cincy. Tiafoe will need to turn it on right away in New York, where he’s defending semifinalist's points—the biggest single-tournament haul of his career.

We’ve seen two other players at this tournament, Venus Williams and Gael Monfils, who have embarked on seemingly quixotic late-career comebacks. Each is gaining some traction, and so, after more than a year of labor, is Wawrinka. He made the final in Umag last month, and is into the round of 16 at a Masters 1000. Now he’ll need to make a quick turnaround: He’s scheduled to play Max Purcell on Thursday afternoon.

But he’s unlikely to complain. Nights like this, when Stan the Man comes to the Grandstand, are exactly what he signed up for.