The Top Matches of 2016: No. 10, Wawrinka d. Evans (U.S. Open)

Stan Wawrinka’s four-hour-and-six-minute, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (8), 6-2 win over Dan Evans in the third round at the U.S. Open was a beginning and an end. For Wawrinka, it was the improbable start to a run that would, a little more than a week later, put the champion’s trophy in his hand. For the arena where this match was staged, Louis Armstrong Stadium, it was the end of the line. After 39 years and countless classics, the original center court at Flushing Meadows was closed down after this year’s Open and demolished soon after—right now, there’s nothing but dirt and debris on the spot where it stood. Wawrinka-Evans was Louis’ last epic, which was fitting. This match was a throwback to an earlier time at the Open, when every part of the court was covered.

The all-court attack, the contrast in styles, and the electricity the two players generated in Armstrong are the reasons why this one comes in at No. 10 on our list of The Top 10 Matches of 2016. Evans was ranked 63rd at the time, and he had never beaten a player of Wawrinka’s stature, but the talented, temperamental Brit helped light up the Open for four hours on a windy, late-summer evening. Against the heavier-hitting Swiss, Evans knew his only hope to was to crash the net, and he did it well enough to get within one point of victory. But in pushing Stan to the brink, he ended up doing him a favor. Wawrinka fought as hard as he ever has for this win, and that stubborn spirit carried over during the Open’s second week. He wouldn’t be denied.

Here’s a look at the nine-minute clip above. Unfortunately, it doesn’t begin until the tail end of the fourth set, and somehow doesn’t include Evans’ match point. But you can still feel the heat of that evening.

—There are beautiful new arenas being built at the all of the major events these days; the Open debuted one this year when it unveiled its brand-new, 10,000-seat Grandstand. As successful as most of them are, they can’t recreate Armstrong’s chaotic energy. The stadium’s steep walls put fans on top of the players, and the fact that there were no luxury boxes meant that everyone’s attention was focused on the match below. It was the most democratic of show courts.

You can hear the difference in the highlights above. The fans are close enough that they sound as if they’re talking to the players—in true New York style, playing in Armstrong was like playing on the street. Evans, an ornery showman, has thrived at the Open in the past, and he did on this day as well.

—As you can see from these rallies, Evans, who at 5’9" gave up three inches and 15 pounds to Wawrinka, had to work extra hard to stay even. The Brit would end up running 3,300 more feet than Stan over the course of the match (14,439 to 11,097), which averages out to 10 extra feet per point. From the baseline, Wawrinka was doing the dictating; the only way Evans could counter was to rush the net 65 times. He won 41 of those points, often with perfectly timed forays forward and perfectly executed half-volleys and drop volleys.

—It should have been enough. Evans went up two sets to one, and in the fourth set he had break chances at 3-3 and 5-5. Evans also went up 4-2, 5-3 and 6-5 in the fourth-set tiebreaker, but he couldn’t hang on. We don’t see it here, but down match point, Wawrinka rushed the net; Evans had a brief look at a backhand pass, but couldn’t get it around Stan. Like many baseliners when they find themselves unexpectedly in the forecourt, Wawrinka had draped himself over the net.

The first crucial point that we do see comes with Evans up 4-2. Once again, he pushed toward the net, but this time Wawrinka’s backhand pass has too much pace and spin on it for him to handle, and he dumps his volley into the net. As well as Evans played and as far as he ran, he couldn’t overcome Wawrinka’s fundamental advantage in power. Stan found just enough of it when he needed it.

The second crucial point we see comes at 7-7. There Evans has a chance to put away an overhead, but he taps it straight back to Wawrinka and eventually loses the point. At 8-8, Wawrinka comes up with a second-serve ace. That two-point swing decided the match, and eventually the tournament.

—Whenever a lower-ranked player jumped out to a lead on him, Andy Roddick said he tried to remember that that at some stage, the guy would come back to earth and show why he was ranked where he was. Evans held on gamely against Wawrinka, even through the early stages of the fifth set, but it was his serve that ultimately let us know why he was ranked 60 spots beneath Wawrinka. Evans double-faulted 16 times, made just 55 percent of his first serves, and won just 68 percent of those points, compared to 78 percent for Wawrinka.

—”It’s always good to win by saving a match point,” said Wawrinka, who didn’t know how good it would turn to be for him at this event. “It’s always something special, that’s for sure. It was a great atmosphere again today on that court.”

Evans, meanwhile, was inconsolable.

“Listen, I’m thinking about that smash at 8-all to put it away,” he said. “I don’t really know. I’ve never been in that situation before, especially against someone as good as him. Yeah, it’s just not easy, is it?”

Easy to watch, but not to lose.