Dominant Wawrinka wins third Chennai Open title

Monday, 12 January 2015 00:52 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

REUTERS - An aggressive Stanislas Wawrinka won his third Chennai Open title on Sunday beating qualifier Aljaz Bedene in the final for a perfect buildup to his Australian Open title defence later this month. The world number four, winner in 2011 and last year, hardly broke sweat against his Slovenian opponent for a 6-3 6-4 victory. “It’s just amazing to win it again, to start the year with a trophy,” the 29-year-old Swiss, in his seventh straight year in the

south Indian city, said in a courtside interview. In a match between opponents who had split their previous two encounters, Wawrinka drew first blood in the sixth game, breaking Bedene before going on to seal the first set. In the second set, Wawrinka converted a second break point to forge 4-3 ahead and eventually clinched title without losing a set in the tournament which bodes well for his Australian Open campaign. “It would be a strange feeling to come back as the defending champion in a grand slam,” he said the of the year’s first major starting on Jan. 19. “First I’m going to enjoy a little bit (winning) this trophy. It’s not every week that you win a trophy.” Bedene was the first qualifier in the 20-year history of the tournament to reach the final, winning seven matches en route to his maiden ATP Tour final.