Stan Wawrinka, at 40 years old, advanced in the ABN AMRO Open by beating 17-year-old Dutch lucky loser Thijs Boogaard 6-4, 6-3 on Wednesday. The victory marked the second-largest age gap in ATP Tour history since 1990. Wawrinka now faces top seed Alex de Minaur in the second round.
The ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam featured a striking generational matchup on February 11, 2026, as three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka defeated 17-year-old Thijs Boogaard. The Swiss veteran, in his farewell season, secured a straight-sets win of 6-4, 6-3 against the Dutch prospect, who entered as a lucky loser after Aleksandar Vukic's late withdrawal.
The age difference of 23 years and three months between Wawrinka and Boogaard ranks as the second-largest in ATP Tour and Grand Slam history since 1990, surpassed only by Thomas Muster's 2011 victory over Dominic Thiem by two years and eight months. Boogaard, a trainee at the Mouratoglou Academy and part of the Champ’seed Foundation, had a tough qualifying run, saving a match point against Kimmer Coppejans before losing to Hugo Grenier with a match point of his own.
Wawrinka broke serve once per set, clinching the second at 5-4 to advance. He reflected on his next challenge against de Minaur, who leads their head-to-head 1-0: “He’s a tough player. Especially in these conditions, it’s going to be difficult to generate something. But I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’ve been playing some good matches against top players, so I’m always trying to push myself.” Earlier at the Australian Open, Wawrinka became the oldest man to reach the third round of the hard-court major since Ken Rosewall.
Other first-round results included Felix Auger-Aliassime defeating Alexei Popyrin 7-5, 6-3, Alexander Bublik rallying past Hubert Hurkacz 6-7(2), 7-6(1), 7-5, and Stefanos Tsitsipas beating Arthur Rinderknech 7-5, 6-3. Christopher O’Connell upset sixth seed Cameron Norrie 7-6(9), 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals.
