Stan Wawrinka v Tomas Berdych, ATP World Tour Finals: as it happened

Wawrinka 6-1, 5-1 Berdych* (*denotes next server) The Swiss has been imperious on his serve all match and so it continues as he holds to 30 despite a couple of loose shots from the baseline. Just one game from victory now...

Wawrinka 6-1, 3-1 Berdych* (*denotes next server) The world No 4 consolidates the break with another love hold. Berdych was at least trying to be aggressive there but he simply can't keep the ball in play at the moment.

Wawrinka 6-1, 1-1 Berdych* (*denotes next server) Stan is showing no signs of letting up and it's another love hold for him - he's only dropped three points on serve all match. His backhand is the purist's choice, but Stan's forehand today has been sensational.

Wawrinka* 6-1, 0-1 Berdych (*denotes next server) Below has been about as good as it's got for the Berdman so far, but he gets himself going in the second set with a love hold. Game quite possibly on!

Wawrinka 6-1 Berdych* (*denotes next server) The Swiss dusts himself down after losing that game and bludgeons a few big serves to give himself three set points. He goes wide with a forehand but seals the set at the third attempt with a booming serve down the middle. WAWRINKA WINS THE FIRST SET 6-1.

Wawrinka 5-0 Berdych* (*denotes next server) Stan the man is absolutely loving this, pummeling Berdych with some huge serves and dominating from the back of the court as he eases to another hold to 15. Berd recently lost 6-0, 6-2 to Djokovic in China, and he could be looking at a similar scoreline unless something drastically changes.

Wawrinka 3-0 Berdych* (*denotes next server) Stan is purring here, and after racing to a 40-0 lead he holds to 15 with a big serve out wide. A very impressive start from the out of form world No 4.

Wawrinka 1-0 Berdych* (*denotes next server) Stan gets the match underway with a love hold. He's looking very confident in the opening exchanges.

14.14 We are underway, Wawrinka to serve...

14.07 Wawrinka wins the toss, and he elects to serve. The news is greeted by more music I haven't heard playing.

14.05 The buildup to the players coming out really is utterly ludicrous - a portentious voice tells us that these are 'the best eight players on the planet', then there's a heartbeat noise, and finally the players are given a boxing-style intro as they walk out with fake smoke billowing. A song is playing, I don't know what it is.

14.00 Berdych says the key today will be taking the ball early and making sure he keeps his focus all match. Wawrinka insists he's feeling 'great' despite his recent run of poor form, and we are very nearly underway.

Email charlie.eccleshare@telegraph.co.uk ahead of the opening Group A game, or tweet him here:@CDEccleshare.

13.54 Wawrinka's single-handed backhand is arguably the most beautiful shot in tennis, here it is in all its glory...

13.49 Tomas Berdych, the world No 7, has won two tournaments this year (Rotterdam and Stockholm), and it's his fifth consecutive appearance at the World Tour Finals.

He was in reflective mood when speaking to the media on Friday, and admitted it will be a tough ask to get out of a group that contains three Grand Slam winners from this year.

'It's a tough draw,' said Berdych. 'There are Grand Slam champions in my group, so it is not an easy one. Having Novak in the group, pretty much means one spot is already taken and we're going to fight for the other spot. I am going to focus on my first match and try to go for it.'

'The last three or four years, there weren't many changes in the top eight,' admitted Berdych. 'Now, there are a few new guys coming up, so it is not easy to maintain and stay in the same position.'

13.43 Ahead of the tournament, Wawrinka said it's been a dream year for him, despite his recent poor run of form (he has won just one match in five tournaments since the US Open).

'It's been an amazing year for sure,' he said on Friday. 'I'm really happy and I wouldn't change my year for anything. To win a Grand Slam and be No 4 in the world, for me it's been a great year. Monte-Carlo was completely different. Winning an [ATP World Tour] Masters 1000 on a clay court and against Roger was something really special. That was part of the amazing memories of this year.'

He continued: 'It changes your life and the way you see [the game]. You need to find a way to adapt, find a way to feel good and play well in all the tournaments. I hope next year I can have even better results in every tournament.'

Besides winning down under, Wawrinka reached the Wimbledon and US Open quarter-finals, but lost in the first round at the French Open.

13.37 Stan the man has had much the better of the recent matches between these two, winning the last four meetings and seven out of the last eight. Berdych was one of Wawrinka's victims en route to the Swiss winning January's Australian Open, and it was the same outcome when they met at this tournament last year. Wawrinka has struggled for form since his maiden Grand Slam triumph in Melbourne, but with such a strong recent head-to-head record (he's up 9-5 overall), he'll be feeling confident going into this one.

13.30 Hello, and welcome to coverage from the ATP World Tour Finals where I'll be bringing you game-by-game action from the Group B match between Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka and Tomas Berdych.

Yesterday, Kei Nishikori beat Andy Murray 6-4, 6-4, while Roger Federer defeated Milos Raonic 6-1, 7-6 to kickoff proceedings at the O2. Preview: He muscled his way into the most elite club in tennis this year but, perhaps, becoming a grand slam winner was just the easy bit. Now, at this week's ATP World Tour Finals in London, it is time for Stan Wawrinka to prove why he belongs there.

Wawrinka's dramatic breakthrough at the Australian Open in January has proved no instant gateway to a new level of constant, elevated success. Swiss Wawrinka has endured a season of maddening inconsistency.

Yet if his brilliance on the biggest stage has been harder to replicate than he could have imagined, he ought to find encouragement from the words of another first-time grand slam winner who endured plenty of under-achievement before re-emerging to prove himself one of the great champions.

World No 1 Novak Djokovic, who opens the defence of his Tour finals crown against Marin Cilic this evening after Wawrinka's opening game against Tomas Berdych, knows the 'biggest adjustment after becoming a grand slam winner is a mental one' and fancies it could be the biggest challenge for both Wawrinka 'right now and in months and years to come.'

Wawrinka, who faces Berdych later this afternoon following a wretched sequence of only one match win in his last four tournaments, admits his inconsistency is harder to deal with after hitting the heights in Melbourne and Monte Carlo, where he won his first Masters title in April.

'Winning a grand slam and a Masters changes your life, changes the way you have to find a way to feel good and play well in every tournament,' he said.

'I hope next year I can have better results in every event.'

Not that Wawrinka would change anything about his landmark year, which he hopes could be capped not just by success in London but by winning the Davis Cup with Roger Federer for Switzerland in the final against France this month.

What would he prefer? A London triumph or an historic victory for his country? 'That's not a good question,' he smiled. 'Don't choose.'

Follow all the action from 1.30pm with Charlie Eccleshare.

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