Wawrinka to face Bedene for another Chennai crown
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Chennai, India (SportsNetwork.com) - Stanislas Wawrinka is in position to claim his second consecutive Chennai Open title after a straight-set semifinal win Saturday over Belgium's David Goffin.
The top-seeded Wawrinka earned a 7-5, 6-3 victory and will take on Slovenian qualifier Aljaz Bedene on Sunday for the championship. Bedene, ranked 156th in the world, continued his surprising run with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10-8) win over third-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut in the first semifinal.
Bedene saved four match points to reach his first-ever ATP World Tour final. He was a semifinalist at this event two years ago, when he knocked off Wawrinka in the quarterfinals before falling to Janko Tipsarevic in the next round.
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Bautista Agut was the 2013 Chennai runner-up to Tipsarevic and last year captured his first two ATP World Tour titles.
Bedene has a tough task ahead of him on Sunday, as Wawrinka will try for his eighth career title and third at this season-opening event.
The Swiss star used this tournament victory last year as a stepping stone to his first major title a few weeks later at the Australian Open. He also won the Chennai crown in 2011 and was the runner-up in 2010.
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Chennai serves as a tune-up for the Aussie Open, which will begin Jan. 19.