Stan Wawrinka and David Goffin will be back in action after outstanding 2014 campaigns. The two first-round bye recipients in Chennai are set for respective meetings with Borna Coric and Ricardas Berankis on Wednesday.
(1) Stan Wawrinka vs. Borna Coric
Wawrinka and Coric will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they collide in a marquee second-round showdown at the Aircel Chennai Open on Wednesday. Coric turned heads last season as the 18-year-old soared into the top 100 with stellar play at the Challenger level, in Umag, at the U.S. Open, and in Basel. The world No. 95 upset Ernests Gulbis and Rafael Nadal in Basel before falling to David Goffin in the semifinals.
Wawrinka’s 2014 campaign, of course, included his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. The fourth-ranked Swiss struggled at times thereafter, but he at least scored another triumph in Monte-Carlo and reached the World Tour Finals semis–at which point he lost a memorable thriller to Roger Federer. A borderline Chennai legend, Wawrinka is a two-time singles champion (2011, 2014) and also a 2013 doubles winner. Coric’s wins over Gulbis and Nadal will help his confidence for a test of this magnitude, but it has to be noted that those two stars were a shadow of their real selves at the time due to injury.
Pick: Wawrinka in 2
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(4) David Goffin vs. Ricardas Berankis
Goffin earned 2014 ATP Comeback Player of the Year honors after sustaining a broken wrist late in the previous season. He could have just as easily been awarded the 2014 ATP Most Improved Player. Either way, Goffin was outstanding–especially in the second half. The 24-year-old Belgian soared to No. 22 in the world on the strength of a 25-match winning streak post Wimbledon followed by his second ATP title in Metz and a runner-up performance in Basel.
Up first for the No. 4 seed in Chennai is Berankis, who actually leads the head-to-head series 2-0. The Lithuanian prevailed 6-3, 6-4 at the 2011 Geneva Challenger and 6-4, 6-3 in 2012 Paris Masters qualifying (both on hard courts). Berankis, who registers at 83rd in the rankings, kicked off his Chennai campaign on Tuesday by battling past Luca Vanni 6-1, 2-6, 7-5. The underdog will obviously be encountering a much different Goffin on the other side of the net than the one he last defeated more than two years ago.
Pick: Goffin in 2
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I actually fancy Coric in this one. Until Stan proves he can produce consistently again I’m not going to trust him to get the wins he should.
Don’t know if anyone’s been watching Rafa but he’s struggling now. Played a fantastic first set but Berrer has really stepped his game up and Rafa’s confidence has faded as his error count rises.
would be good for the game
The Coric Kid over Stan the Ma…. CryBaby
#Bandwagon
hawkeye63 says:
January 6, 2015 at 5:06 pm
—.…CryBaby…—
I am wondering why someone supports Mrs. Fed’s rudeness.
^^CryBaby
Eye to eye
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2vuIJpCEAAUUgG.jpg
I am wondering why someone supports the player who complained about Rafa’s injury causing the fans to boo Rafa at the Australian Open Final last year.
They played 2 times and Berankis won both. Today he will win 3-2.
3-2?
Wow. The media took Coric out of context??? Whooda thunkit?
Message from Borna Coric:
“Dear fans,
I would like to take this opportunity to clarify a statement in an interview I gave for The Times of India while playing in Chennai.
Some of my quotes were misinterpreted.
First, regarding “the best in my generation”, in and around my age group we are so lucky to have a cluster of super talented contemporaries who have most definitely pushed each and everyone of us to become better over the years. We all have a healthy rivalry. As it happens at this specific moment I have the best ranking of all the players my age but as we know in tennis that could change in 1 week as it did on many occasions between us last year. I respect all of them. Nothing is for certain in this sport and I respect each and everyone of them.
Secondly, my comparison with some of the best players in the world was taken out of context. All I wanted to say is that I am naturally a defensive player. In order to be better, I need to work on being aggressive as much as possible. In this statement they were supposed to use as examples, but I was not quoted the way I wanted. I utterly respect players who are amongst the best of our era and multiple Grand Slam champions and I in no way meant to be disrespectful in anyway.”