Far from the Grand Slam stages on which both have starred, Stan Wawrinka beat Andy Murray 6-3, 6-0 on Wednesday in what is believed to be the first ATP Challenger Tour matchup between two past major champions in more than 40 years.
Each man has won three Grand Slam titles — Wawrinka at the 2014 Australian Open, 2015 French Open and 2016 U.S. Open; Murray at the 2012 U.S. Open and Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016. Each has needed multiple operations in more recent times — Wawrinka to his left knee and left foot; Murray to his hip, including the insertion of a metal implant. Each is older than 35: Wawrinka is 38; Murray turned 36 on Monday.
Wawrinka once was ranked as high as No. 3 and is currently 84th. Murray once went all the way up at No. 1 and is now 42nd.
Their 22 past career meetings on the ATP's top level (Murray leads, 13-9) include seven head-to-head showdowns at majors (Wawrinka leads 4-3). That featured matches in the semifinals of the French Open in 2016 (won by Murray) and 2017 (won by Wawrinka).
This latest encounter was also on red clay, but in the second round at a club in Bordeaux, near the coast and about 350 miles (560 kilometers) southwest of Roland Garros — with much smaller stakes and a much smaller audience.