Defending champ Wawrinka beats Garcia-Lopez to set up semi-final date with Paire
When Ramkumar Ramanathan stood toe to toe with the world no. 45 Aljaz Bedene and spectacularly clinched the first set, hopes of another upset loomed large at the SDAT Stadium here. But the local boy, only the fourth Indian to reach the quarter-finals at the ATP Chennai Open, ran out of steam to be derailed 7-6(5), 4-6, 3-6 in a riveting contest that last over two hours, fizzling out after his effervescent start.
Constantly pumping his fists, Ramkumar kept the crowd behind him, but Bedene seemed hardly troubled by the vociferous support for the local hero. The Slovenian-born Brit was a picture of composure even as Ramkumar saved five match points at 5-3 to stay afloat. He finally heaved a sigh of relief when Ramkumar missed a stretching backhand.
Despite an array of opportunities neither players managed to produce a
break as the first set had to be decided in a tie-breaker where Bedene made a couple of forehand errors to see his younger opponent run away with the lead.The second set followed a similar pattern, but Bedene was quick to
grab his chance in the 10th game to force the decider.Earlier, defending champion Stan Wawrinka needed just over an hour to breeze past Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-4, 6-4 in his quarter-final.
The match between the elegant Swiss and the robust Spaniard, both known for the single-handed backhand, raised some hopes of a hard-pressed contest when Garcia-Lopez managed to break Wawrinka back to make it 4-4. The fifth seed’s resistance, however, didn’t last long. Wawrinka swiftly restored the one-way traffic and this time he was more dominant with his serve.
Out of the match total of 14 aces, nine came in the second set. Wawrinka served three bazookas down the T, one after the other, to launch his assault in the second. And he finished the game with a flourish, by nailing another ace. The Swiss thus extended his Chennai winning streak to 10 matches. And for the record, he is yet to drop a set since his defeat at the hands of Bedene in the quarter-finals of the 2013 edition.
With this win, Wawrinka also kept his unbeaten head-to-head record, on hard courts, against Garcia-Lopez intact.
“I was really happy with the way I played. I served well, moved well and remained aggressive,” said the Swiss.
Though the matches here are played in the evening, the humid conditions still take heavy toll on players. But for Wawrinka, who is starting the season here for the eighth consecutive year, the humidity gets the best out of him.
“It drains you out physically as well as mentally, but I like the challenge. Hopefully, I can keep going here,” added Wawrinka.
In the semi-finals to be held on Saturday, Wawrinka will meet Frenchman Benoit Paire who halted Italian qualifier Thomas Fabbiano’s run with a 6-4, 7-5 result.
Wawrinka said meeting his friend and occasional training partner Paire across the net would be a tough match. “He is a talented player who has a strong backhand. He serves and returns well and always puts a lot of pressure on the opponent. I have to play solid game to beat him. We know each other so well and it’s never easy,” he added.
