Stan Wawrinka said the knowledge that this is his final Australian Open allowed him to dig deep to beat Arthur Gea in the longest match of this year's tournament thus far.

Wawrinka, who said before the turn of the year that 2026 would be his final season on the ATP Tour, outlasted Gea 4-6 6-3 3-6 7-5 7-6 (10-3) in a gruelling second-round tie.

The 40-year-old, who won the Australian Open in 2014, was on court for four hours and 33 minutes on Thursday, and things do not get much easier for him in round three, as he meets ninth seed Taylor Fritz.

It was Wawrinka's 49th five-set match, surpassing Roger Federer's 48 for the outright most in the Open Era. 

And since the introduction of 128-player draws at all four grand slams in 1987, Wawrinka (40 years, 296 days) is now the oldest player to claim multiple match wins at a single major.

A 5,000-strong crowd at Kia Arena got behind Wawrinka throughout the match, and he says he will need fans' continued support if he is to defy his advancing years again in round three.

"It's my last Australian Open, so I'm trying to last as long as possible," Wawrinka said. "I'm always going to fight. 

NOT DONE YET! @stanwawrinka #AusOpen2026 pic.twitter.com/L6PWpzJy5r

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 22, 2026

"I'm always going to leave everything on the court, always trying my best, trying to push myself.

"Not only did I have fun, but also you gave me so much energy. You know I'm not young anymore, so I need your energy, I need extra energy from you!

"It's an amazing feeling to be on this court, to have so much noise, so much support. It was a long match, I don't know how I'm going to recover, but I'm super happy.

"Maybe I'm going to pick up a beer, I deserve one!"

Should Wawrinka overcome Fritz, he would become the oldest man to reach the last 16 at a grand slam since Ken Rosewall (44 years 54 days) at the Australian Open in 1978.

And since the ATP Rankings were first published in 1973, Wawrinka could also become the oldest-ever player to claim a top-10 win at a grand slam.