Stan Wawrinka has bowed out of the Geneva Open after losing to Alex Michelsen in the round of 16.
Wawrinka battled past qualifier Raul Brancaccio in his opening match, but fell just short of another victory on home soil against Michelsen.
After one hour and 44 minutes of high-quality action, the American defeated the Swiss icon 7-6(7-1), 7-6(7-4).
Wawrinka was honored on court upon his exit, but only after receiving a heartfelt message from his latest ATP opponent.
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Alex Michelsen sends heartfelt message to Stan Wawrinka in Geneva
Michelsen said in his on-court interview: “Man, I mean, I could go on.
“I watched a lot of him growing up, he was winning Slams when I was a little kid.
“It was awesome to see.
“And then getting to play him here is incredible, and I think he deserves all the love he gets. “Super nice guy.
“And yeah, he deserves his farewell tour for sure.”
The classy comments came with a message written on the camera that read: “Stan the Man,” with Michelsen also making sure Wawrinka was applauded by the fans.
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Stan Wawrinka turns focus to Roland Garros after Geneva farewell
There is little time for the Swiss icon to ponder the loss, with Wawrinka turning his focus to Roland Garros, where he has direct entry into the main draw after Lorenzo Musetti’s withdrawal.
Wawrinka wants to win a few Roland Garros matches in what is his final appearance at the Grand Slam, which he won in 2015.
He did exactly that at this year’s Australian Open, knocking out Laslo Djere and Arthur Gea before losing to Taylor Fritz in round three.
| Year | Titles | Tournaments |
| 2017 | 1 | Geneva (Outdoor/Clay) |
| 2016 | 4 | US Open (Outdoor/Hard) Geneva (Outdoor/Clay) Dubai (Outdoor/Hard) Chennai (Outdoor/Hard) |
| 2015 | 4 | Tokyo (Outdoor/Hard) Roland Garros (Outdoor/Clay) Rotterdam (Indoor/Hard) Chennai (Outdoor/Hard) |
| 2014 | 3 | ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo (Outdoor/Clay) Australian Open (Outdoor/Hard) Chennai (Outdoor/Hard) |
| 2013 | 1 | Oeiras (Outdoor/Clay) |
| 2011 | 1 | Chennai (Outdoor/Hard) |
| 2010 | 1 | Casablanca (Outdoor/Clay) |
| 2006 | 1 | Umag (Outdoor/Clay) |
Fritz incidentally has also just exited the Geneva Open after losing to Alexei Popyrin, while Michelsen now turns his focus to fellow American Learner Tien.
Also remaining in the star-studded lineup at the ATP 250 tournament are Casper Ruud and Alexander Bublik.
They will look to continue fine-tuning their games for Roland Garros, which begins the day after Geneva ends.
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