Bedene Goes South: Wawrinka Wins Chennai Open 2014
Bedene Goes South: Wawrinka Wins Chennai Open 2014
In a major dampener for Slovenian qualifier Aljaz Bedene, Stanislas Wawrinka has scored what is his second consecutive title victory at the south Indian capital city of Chennai. Wawrinka wowed fans and spectators alike with his performance and did not drop a single set in the tournament.
Wawrinka Scores a Comfortable Win
Stanislas Wawrinka looks set to defend his Australian Open title and more than ready for any challenge. The Swiss player notched a win of 6-3,6-4 over Slovenian qualifier Aljaz Bedene to win the Chennai Open on 11th January 2015. The Swiss star shone bright as fellow player and veteran ace Roger Federer also won the Brisbane International men’s final on the same day.
This was the second consecutive title victory at Chennai and the third in toto for the top seeded tennis player. He managed service breaks in the sixth game of the first set and the seventh in the one after that, winning in a record of 1 hour, 10 minutes.
Looking Forward to Another Win
"I'm looking forward to the Australian Open," the fourth seeded Wawrinka was quoted as saying, adding "It's going to be a strange feeling to come back as the defending champion in a Grand Slam. But right now, I want to enjoy this trophy. It's not every week you win a trophy and it's really tough to win on the ATP Tour.”
The Swiss player also said regarding his victory that, "It's amazing to win again, to start the year with a trophy. I'm very happy with my level. It was a great final. [Bedene] has been through the qualifier, beating a lot of seeds and it's been good for him, too.”
True Sportsmanship
Bedene, the first qualifier to reach the final at the Chennai Open after beating no less than 3 top seeded players appreciated his rival’s performance adding "Stan played amazing today.” The 156th-ranked Bedene said regarding his own game that, "It's been a great week. I guess hard work has paid off for me. This is now my favourite tournament for three years and I'll be back here next year.”
This is the third time Bedene had to face Wawrinka. In the previous match, Wawrinka had prevailed while Bedene had won the quarterfinal in 2013. Bedene is also the first qualifier in the 20 year history of the tournament to get to the final, scoring a straight win in 7 matches on the way to what is his maiden ATP Tour final.
A Challenge for the Big 4
Wawrinka is ready and waiting to break the chances of the Big 4 at the Australian Open. He is the first in the history of the Chennai Open Tournament to win the match thrice having previously won in 2011 and 2014. Whether it will be one Swiss sensation against the other in the Australian Open is something one is waiting to see.
