A pair of Swiss and a pair of Rogers will be in finals action on Sunday. In Brisbane, fellow veterans Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt will battle for the title. Meanwhile, Stanislas Wawrinka and Edouard Roger-Vasselin are vying for the winner’s trophy in Chennai.
Brisbane International: (1) Roger Federer vs. Lleyton Hewitt
Hewitt and Federer will be squaring off for the 27th time in their careers when they collide in the Brisbane final on Sunday afternoon. Federer leads the head-to-head series 18-8, including 3-1 in finals. They have not faced each other since a 2011 Davis Cup playoff on grass in Australia, where Federer prevailed 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-3. Hewitt’s last win over the 17-time Grand Slam champion came on the grass courts of Halle in 2010, when the Australian took the title via a 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 decision.
Picking up where he left off at the end of a much-improved fall swing in 2013, Federer has been in fine form this week. In addition to a semifinal finish in doubles, the Swiss booked his spot in the singles final with wins over Jarkko Nieminen, Marinko Matosevic, and Jeremy Chardy–the latter in three sets. Hewitt advanced with scalps of Thanasi Kokkinakis, Feliciano Lopez, Marius Copil, and Kei Nishikori. The world No. 60 is looking for his third title at this event, which would come a whopping 16 years after his first triumph. Hewitt–as always–will make his opponent work hard for it, but Federer is looking too good this week to pick against the top seed.
Pick: Federer in 3
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Aircel Chennai Open: (1) Stanislas Wawrinka vs. (7) Edouard Roger-Vasselin
There’s a reason why Wawrinka loves kicking off his seasons in Chennai. This is his third trip to the singles final following appearances in 2010 (lost to Marin Cilic) and 2011 (beat Xavier Malisse). He also captured last year’s doubles crown with Benoit Paire. Wawrinka is back in the championship after getting past Benjamin Becker, Aljaz Bedene, and Vasek Pospisil (via retirement at 5-5 in the second) without dropping a single set.
Up next for the No. 1 seed is Roger-Vasselin, against whom Wawrinka is 1-1 lifetime at the ATP level. They just faced each other a few months ago on the indoor hard courts of Basel, where Roger-Vasselin disappointed the home crowd with a 6-4, 6-3 upset. Wawrinka beat the Frenchman 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the second round of this same Chennai event in 2012. Roger-Vasselin has earned wins this week over Albert Ramos, Jiri Vesely, Dudi Sela, and Marcel Granollers–surrendering sets to Sela and Granollers in the process. Wawrinka is well-rested and has to feel right at home in Chennai, so he should get the job done behind his superior firepower and experience in ATP finals.
Pick: Wawrinka in 2
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