Swiss Open loss seals rough week for Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka was eliminated in the second round of the Swiss Open on Thursday, losing 6-4, 6-4 to 119th-ranked Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil.
Wawrinka, ranked 24th, had been the top seed in the tournament in the resort town of Gstaad.
The world’s best players, including top-ranked Roger Federer of Switzerland, did not play.
Defending champion Victor Hanescu also left the tournament early, retiring with a stomach illness after losing the opening set against Florent Serra of France.
The 21-year-old Bellucci broke Wawrinka once in each set and never faced a break point. He converted his first match point when the Swiss sent a looping backhand long after 1 hour and 14 minutes.
The defeat sealed a tough week for 24-year-old Wawrinka. He dropped out of the top 20 in the world rankings Monday for the first time since leaping into the top ten in May last year, when he reached the final of the Rome Masters.
Bellucci faces Nicolas Kiefer of Germany in the quarterfinals, and Serra will play Marcos Daniel of Brazil.
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