Stan Wawrinka crushes Tomas Berdych at World Tour Finals

Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka crushed Tomas Berdych for the loss of only two games in his opening match at the ATP World Tour Finals.

Wawrinka won 6-1 6-1 in 58 minutes - the most one-sided contest since the season finale moved to London in 2009.

It is the fifth year in a row that Berdych has lost his opening match at the O2 Arena.

World number one Novak Djokovic takes on US Open champion Marin Cilic in Monday's late match.

"Unfortunately it was my worst match of the whole season, and I kept it for the start here in the World Tour Finals," said Berdych.

"My game is about hitting the ball nice and clean, then you can create something, but at the beginning I didn't have that at all. I hit so many frames.

"I have to sit with my team and make the right things for the future days."

It was a fifth consecutive victory over Berdych for Wawrinka, who said: "For me, when I play against him it's always tough, but I can always find a solution.

"I'm really happy with the way I handled the situation."

Berdych only narrowly avoided a 6-0 6-0 defeat against Djokovic in Beijing in October and he endured another humiliation at the hands of Wawrinka in London.

The Czech made a dreadful start, firing a forehand wide to drop serve straight away and falling a double-break behind at 4-0 after a crunching Wawrinka return.

Berdych failed to hit a single winner off backhand or forehand in the entire match

By the time he slipped 5-0 down, Berdych had won just five points, and the applause he received after finally getting on the scoreboard in game six was largely sympathetic.

It was just the helping hand that Wawrinka needed after winning only one match since the US Open in September and the Swiss took full advantage.

Berdych was at least fighting to stay in the contest but could not find any semblance of even average form.

Wawrinka pushed hard early in the second and, when he fired a backhand down the line on his second break point to move 2-1 ahead, the contest was as good as over.

A woeful final tally of 20 unforced errors and not a single winner off backhand or forehand told the tale of Berdych's afternoon, while a buoyant Wawrinka had just enough time on court to show off his shot-making with 16 winners.

Shaking his head, apparently unable to believe it himself, Berdych was broken for a fifth time to end the contest and leave Wawrinka in a strong position to grab one of the two semi-final places on offer.

Berdych has failed to win the opening match at the O2 for five years in a row

In a dominant display, Wawrinka won 95% of points on his first serve and 67% of the points in total

"I can always find a solution" - Wawrinka on beating Berdych for the fifth match in a row