CHENNAI, India (AP)—Stanislas Wawrinka and Edouard Roger-Vasselin registered hard-fought wins to set up the final of the Chennai Open on Saturday.
Top-seeded Wawrinka saw a resurgent Vasek Pospisil of Canada concede their semifinal at 6-4, 5-5 due to a back strain while Frenchman Roger-Vasselin sweated it out against Spanish player Marcel Granollers for a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 victory.
“It’s going to be a very tough match,” said Wawrinka, who has split two meetings with Roger-Vasselin. “He is playing great tennis. He is really serving and returning well. I played him last time indoors and he beat me in Basel. It’s going to be an interesting match and I hope I can take the title.”
The eighth-ranked Wawrinka was in for a surprise as fifth-seeded Pospisil withdrew just after he had struck rhythm following some unforced errors at crucial junctures.
Earlier in the first semifinal, seventh-seeded Roger-Vasselin made the only break of the first set in the sixth game and faced stiff resistance thereafter.
Granollers went a break up in the third game of the second set and held on, and the decider was also tight.