CHENNAI: Defending champion and top seed Stanislas Wawrinka did not disappoint the packed crowd. True to his reputation and world ranking (No 4), the Swiss defeated Slovenian qualifier Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-4 without a fuss to bag the Chennai Open at the SDAT Tennis Stadium on Sunday.
With this win, Wawrinka joined Marin Cilic (2009, 2010) and Carlos Moya (2004, 2005) as players to have successfully defended their titles. Having won this crown in 2011, Wawrinka has three triumphs at India’s only ATP World Tour event. He also has a doubles crown in his kitty.
Apart from the glittering cup, Wawrinka got $73,400 (`45.8 lakh) as prize money and 250 ATP points. Bedene received $38,650 (`24.1 lakh) and 150 points.
Wawrinka knew Bedene was a tricky customer and if he managed to break the qualifier once in each set and hold on to his serve, he stood a good chance to defend his title and that’s exactly what happened.
Wawrinka broke Bedene in the sixth game of the first set and in the second, he broke the Slovenian in the seventh game to take the most coveted trophy on the Indian landscape. The Swiss did not drop a set in the tournament and this remarkable feat looks like perfect preparation for the Australian Open, where he is also the defending champion.
“I am happy to have started the new season winning a trophy,” said Wawrinka. “This is a great tournament. It is improving year by year for the players. I will keep coming back here,” added Roger Federer’s doubles partner.
Bedene, after thanking the sporting crowd that supported him throughout the tournament, admitted he was nervous as it was his biggest match. “It was my first final and I was excited. I didn’t sleep well last night,’’ said Bedene, adding that he would get over the loss.
Bedene was good in patches. He did show his class while entertaining the crowd in the third game of the second set, where after a delicate drop shot he stumped Wawrinka with a lob. However Bdedene felt he committed too many errors, especially in the second set.
“I was tired after the long match (semifinal against Roberto Bautista Agut) last night. My legs were not good. I was not moving well,” revealed Bedene.
But Wawrinka had words of praise for Bedene. “He is a good player, a great guy. If he carries out some improvements, he can grow big as a player,” complimented Wawrinka.
Commenting on his game, Wawrinka said he was pleased with the way he served. “I served well — the first serve,” he said, adding he would try to improve further. However, Bedene signed off saying, “I am satisfied with my performance here in the first week of the 2015 Tour.”
Paes-Klassen Upset
The pair of Yen-Hsun Lu of Chinese Taipei and Jonathan Marray of Great Britain defeated the top-seeded Indo-South African duo of Leander Paes and Raven Klaasen 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) in the doubles final. In the first set Paes conceded a break to Lu. But in the second set Paes and Klassen fought hard to take it to the tie-breaker. But here once again the duo were error prone. Lu and Marray played the big points better and took home $22,300 (`13.9 lakh).
Results
Finals: Singles: [1] S Wawrinka (Switzerland) bt [Q] A Bedene (Slovenia) 6-3, 6-4. Doubles: Y Lu (Chinese Taipei) & J Marray (Great Britain) bt [1] R Klaasen (South Africa) & L Paes (India) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).
