In Dubai, Stan Wawrinka shows off steely mentality that has turned him into a grand slam winner

World No 4 Wawrinka needed an epic 15-13 tiebreak in the second set to finish off Baghdatis on Saturday and emerged the champion at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, writes Jon Turner.

Stan Wawrinka celebrates after beating Marcos Baghdatis in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final on Saturday. Marwan Naamani / AFP / February 27, 2016

In the end, it came down to a difference of fine margins.

That was all that separated the winner from the loser, the champion from the runner-up, and US$271,410 (Dh996,875) in prize money. There was not even a victor in the psychological battle such were the nerves of steel of both players on Saturday night.

That is one of the key aspects that makes tennis such a gripping spectacle; it is often the big points, more than the amount of points that determines the winner, and ultimately, that is how Stan Wawrinka triumphed against Marcos Baghdatis in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final.

To gain an understanding into Wawrinka’s mentality, the 30-year-old Swiss has now won nine successive finals.

“I know that the more matches I win in the same week, the more confidence I get,” Wawrinka said when asked about his recent record in finals.

“I know that when I get into finals I play my best tennis. So far it’s been great to win nine finals, but I don’t think about it. I just try to go on court and get the trophy because that’s what I want.”

Photo gallery: Stan Wawrinka bests Marcos Baghdatis to win Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title

After a comparatively flat first set, that saw Wawrinka recover from a break down to win 6-4, the pace and quality of the match improved drastically in the second. Wawrinka’s booming groundstrokes were a joy to behold as he pushed Baghdatis across the court while unloading bombs from both sides of his racket.

The Wawrinka backhand may produce more gasps from the crowd, but it was his forehand that formed the base of his most impressive play last night. In response, Baghdatis relied on his movement, carefully caressing the ball around the court attempting to lengthen points to counter Wawrinka’s power.

The match was ticking along nicely without really catching fire. Then came the tiebreak.

Inside a packed Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, Wawrinka, the world No 4 and Dubai second seed, and Baghdatis, the former world No 8, produced one of the most thrilling tiebreaks likely to be played out this season.

It had everything; tension, breathtaking points, bizarre errors, and a moment of controversy that caused Wawrinka to scream at a line judge who overruled his own decision to call a Baghdatis shot out, only for the Cypriot to win the following point to take it to 9-9.

At that stage, Baghdatis had missed two set points, Wawrinka one match point. Baghdatis would go on to squander a further four set points, much to the frustration of a rocking pro-Baghdatis crowd, before Wawrinka closed out the championship on his fifth match point chance at 15-13.

“Playing this level more often. I think that was the difference,” Baghdatis said. “The more matches I play throughout the year at this level would make me believe from the beginning that I can win, not wait three, four games and start believing.

“I think that was the difference today. I can see a bit more experience from Stan playing at this level at these big tournaments.”

This week, Baghdatis had beaten three players inside the world’s top 24, Viktor Troicki, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Feliciano Lopez, which shows the great strides the Cypriot is making in his climb back up the rankings.

Yet that is the difference between a top 24 player and a top four grand slam-winner; those key moments are often edged by the elite player, it is what makes them elite players.

Wawrinka is undoubtedly an elite player now, but unlike the rest of the so-called Big Four, his rise to the upper echelons of tennis has occurred in the latter stages of his career. Indeed, in his previous two visits to Dubai, Wawrinka failed to win a single match.

“I’m glad I came,” Wawrinka said. “It’s an amazing end to the week. It was tough at the beginning, but I was always trying to fight, always trying to improve day by day even if I wasn’t playing great.

“I’m really happy to have another trophy. It’s an amazing feeling, especially today I was playing some really good tennis. It was a tough final against Marcos. We always play tough matches. I’m really happy to have the trophy.”

Next up is the Indian Wells Masters for Wawrinka, and given his recent record, any potential opponent should be very concerned if the newly crowned Dubai champion reaches the final.

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