Stan Wawrinka wins Fed Cup Classic title in Perth ATP Tour

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Wawrinka establishes foothold in Fed Cup classic as Switzerland seal victory in Perth

Mixed doubles Switzerland leads France 2-0 to advance to Group C opener

January 3, 2026

Stan Wawrinka secured victory in his final year on the ATP Tour in dramatic circumstances in Perth on Saturday.

Wawrinka defeated Arthur Rinderknech 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) to seal the victory for Switzerland in their Fed Cup opener against France. Belinda Benic earlier got the Swiss team off to a perfect start in Group C with an easy 6-2, 6-4 victory over Leoliia Jeanjean.

“It’s a great way for me to start the new year,” said Wawrinka, who announced in December that 2026 would be the final season of his career after a three-hour, 18-minute victory at the RAC Arena. “It’s my first time in Perth. There was a lot of support today so it was an amazing feeling to play in such a tough match. Of course the conditions were tough. It was over three hours so it didn’t help but I’m really happy with the match, the performance and helping the Swiss lead 2-0.”

This person Stan😎 pic.twitter.com/V19qRFj28Z

— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) January 3, 2026

Rinderknech and Wawrinka’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head match was a tough battle from start to finish. Lindeknech held serve at 0/40, with the score at 4-4, and then broke in the 12th game to seal the first set, while Wawrinka calmly won the second set in the tie-break. When the match entered the decider, his signature backhand baseline winner sealed the victory and brought the Perth crowd to its feet.

After an early break in the third set, Wawrinka defeated Lindeknecy in the decisive tie-break to earn his first hard-court matchup against a top-50 opponent since 2024.

Rinderknech is ranked 29th in the PIF ATP Rankings and is aiming to have the best season of his career in 2025. According to the Infosys ATP Win-Loss Index, he has 27 tour-level wins, including a record final appearance at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. However, he was unable to find the consistency in his big serve game to overcome former world No. 3 Wawrinka, who has now won the ATP Tour event in 23 different seasons (2003, 2005-25).

Saturday’s match in Perth will conclude with a mixed doubles match between Bencic and Jakub Paul against Thienso Rakotomanga Rajaona and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

Before Wawrinka’s victory, Switzerland could not have made a better start to their Confederations Cup campaign than Bencic. The 28-year-old lost her opening match to France’s Leolia Jeanjean but never trailed again, winning 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 31 minutes at the RAC Arena.

In the first meeting between the two, Bencic controlled the match from the start, dominating at the net as she won 23 of 29 points and cemented that advantage with her powerful serve. She won 78 percent of her first-serve points, suppressed much of the pressure generated by Handicap, and sealed the victory with a backhand winner.

“The last game was tricky against the Australian sunshine,” Bencic said after the game. “I think this is really one of the only places playing in Australia where this happens. So I should do better. So next time I’ll find some solutions.”

Bencic is heading into a resurgent 2025 season, where she was named the WTA Comeback Player of the Year and her year-end ranking climbed to No. 11 from No. 421 in January in her first full season after maternity leave.

“Last year, we didn’t expect it to go this well,” Bencic said. “Of course, I think the work is not done yet. I’m very happy to win the Comeback Player of the Year award and now it’s time to do more work and try to get better.”