Good friends and former Chennai doubles champions Stan Wawrinka and Benoit Paire will be facing each other on Saturday. A place in the title match of this season-opening event is at stake.
Stan Wawrinka and Benoit Paire will be squaring off for the sixth time in their careers when they clash in the semifinals of the Aircel Chennai Open on Saturday.
Wawrinka is leading the head-to-head series 5-1, including 4-1 on hard courts. The fourth-ranked Swiss has won three in a row since losing to Paire 6-2, 7-6(2) at the 2013 Rogers Cup. They faced each other twice last season, with Wawrinka cruising on each occasion; 6-2, 6-3 indoors in Marseille and 6-2, 6-4 in the Tokyo final.
Chennai may be the last setting in which Paire would choose in an effort to turn the tide against Wawrinka. The top seed is the two-time defending champion and he has captured the title three times overall (2011). Wawrinka is up to his usual tricks in Chennai with straight-set victories this week over Andrey Rublev and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
Paire punched his ticket to the last four by taking out Lukas Rosol and Thomas Fabbiano in straight sets. The Frenchman is coming off a resurgent 2015 campaign that has him inside the top 20 at No. 19 in the world.
“Stan is one of my best friends on the tour, so tomorrow will be a fun match,” Paire said following his defeat of Fabbiano. “I had a great 2015, playing Challengers and making my way back (from outside the Top 100), so why not start 2016 with a final?”
While the thought is a good one, execution of the plan will be more difficult. Paire has been unspectacular through two matches, but it requires something special in order to beat Wawrinka in this tournament. Expect an entertaining, good-natured contest that may end in straight sets to the chagrin of the Chennai crowd.
Pick: Wawrinka in 2
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who ya got?
Stan in straight sets. No.1 and no.5 already in a final, no.3 probably will be soon. No.2 reached the Hopman cup final, so the no.4 player has to reach the final too to keep up the standard.
Number two didn’t reach Hopman cup final actually. It’s kyrgios and gavrilova against dolgopolov and svitolina at 2:30 am eastern time so in an hour and 15 minutes.
Oh ok. Thanks for the correction. I havent watched Dolgo at the Hopman Cup, may watch the final and see how he fares vs Kygrios.
Aussies in 3 matches, 2-1
2-1 Aussies
hit and giggle…Stan in 2
Stan in straights. He’s a lock in Chennai honestly.