Chennai: In a match of fluctuating fortunes, Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene held his nerve when it mattered the most to prevail over Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8) in the semifinals of the ATP Chennai Open here on Saturday. Bedene saved four match points before becoming the first qualifier in the 20-year history of the tournament to feature in the final where he will take on Swiss top seed Stan Wawrinka.
World No.4, got the better of David Goffin 7-5, 6-3. The match between the giant-killing Slovenian and third-seeded Spaniard was a statistician’s delight. The marathon that lasted two hours and 42 minutes witnessed 10 breaks of serves five of them in the first set in 30 games played. Bedene saved 10 break points.
In the doubles, Leander Paes will be gunning for his seventh crown here with Raven Klaasen. The Indo-South African pair will take the winner of the match between Purav Raja/Adil Shamasdin and Yen-Hsun Lu/Jonathan Marray.
