Geneva Open: Stan Wawrinka reinforces French Open credentials by defeating Mischa Zverev in final

Geneva: Top seed Stan Wawrinka defended his Geneva claycourt title on Saturday, rallying for a set down to see off German outsider Mischa Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. The Swiss player’s first trophy of the season gives the 32-year-old world number three a boost ahead of the French Open – which he won in 2015 – and where he opens against Slovak Jozef Kovalik on Monday. “I’m extremely happy to win my second title in Switzerland. It means a lot to me. This is the first time that my daughter is in the stadium when I win the title and that makes it even more special,” said Wawrinka. [caption id=“attachment_3489381” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland poses with the Geneva Open trophy after beating Mischa Zverev. AP[/caption] After losing the first set to qualifier Zverev, the older brother of Alexander Zverev who stunned Novak Djokovic in the Rome Masters final, three-time Grand Slam winner Wawrinka needed 2 hours 20 minutes to seal victory. “The level was great today, I think it was a great final. Mischa was playing very well and maybe I was hesitating a bit in the beginning,” said the Swiss player. “I’m happy that I came back strongly in the second set and managed to turn the match around.” Zverev, 29, had been bidding for his maiden tour title in the 33rd-ranked player’s first final appearance in seven years. “It was a great week for me here‎ in Geneva,” said Zverev. “Playing on clay is usually not easy for me, but I really felt great here and reaching my first semi-final and final on this surface.”