<p>Stan Wawrinka defeated Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 7-5 to go to the semifinals of the Croatia Open, breaking a semifinal drought dating back to 2023.</p>
<p>Wawrinka defeated Carballes Baena in a dramatic quarterfinal match on Friday to go to 2-0 against the Spaniard in the pair’s second ATP Head to Head match in as many days.<img decoding=”async” class=”alignnone wp-image-101492″ src=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/theindiaprint.com-on-indias-playing-xi-for-the-first-odi-against-the-west-indies-is-an-ex-india-opener-download-2023-07-29t165854.627.jpg” alt=”” width=”1041″ height=”542″ srcset=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/theindiaprint.com-on-indias-playing-xi-for-the-first-odi-against-the-west-indies-is-an-ex-india-opener-download-2023-07-29t165854.627.jpg 311w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/theindiaprint.com-on-indias-playing-xi-for-the-first-odi-against-the-west-indies-is-an-ex-india-opener-download-2023-07-29t165854.627-150×78.jpg 150w” sizes=”(max-width: 1041px) 100vw, 1041px” /></p>
<p>The sixth-seeded Swiss won in one hour and 44 minutes and advanced to his first tour-level semi-final since Metz in September 2022 thanks to late serve breaks in both set.</p>
<p>In his on-court interview, Wawrinka remarked, “He’s a really tough player, I expected a tough match.”</p>
<p>“I felt like I played good tonight. It’s difficult to move quickly and aggressively because of the sluggish circumstances, but my game is strong and I’m having a good time. I’m delighted to go to the semifinals tomorrow,” he said.</p>
<p>Wawrinka, who is visiting Umag for the first time since 2007, has so far made an impression this week. In an effort to win his first tour-level championship since Geneva in 2017 at the clay-court ATP 250, he has already prevailed in all six of the sets he has played.</p>
<p>After defeating Jaume Munar 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, Lorenzo Sonego will be his next opponent in Croatia.</p>
<p>Wawrinka, who won his first ATP Tour championship at Umag in 2006, predicted that the match will be challenging.</p>
<p>He is an excellent player. He’s a strong fighter with some incredible shots, so I anticipate a very difficult struggle. But I’m hoping I can keep doing that well and winning,” he said.</p>
