Stan Wawrinka, of Switzerland, returns to Tomas Machac, of Czechia, at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Indian Wells, California. (PHOTO / AP)

INDIAN WELLS - Three-times Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka lost 7-6(3) 4-6 6-2 to Tomas Machac in the Indian Wells first round on Thursday as the Swiss player continues to struggle.

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Wawrinka, 38, reached a career-high of world number three a decade ago with his aggressive style of play but was unable to match 23-year-old Czech Machac's level in the deciding set and his signature one-handed backhand sail wide on match point.

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Wawrinka lost in the first round of this year's Australian Open, the second round of the Argentina Open, and the Rio Open first round before coming to the California desert, where he was a finalist in 2017.

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Machac will play French 21st seed Adrian Mannarino in the second round on Friday.