Tennis News

Following an entertaining week of matches, Stan Wawrinka and Tomas Berdych will cross paths in the final of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament on Sunday. This marks their 16th meeting on the ATP World Tour, and Wawrinka will look to add to his 10-5 lead in the head-to-head series.

Follow the match live here: Berdych v Wawrinka Live Stream

In one of his better showings this week, Stan Wawrinka squeezed past Canadian no. 1 Milos Raonic in straight sets 7-6(3), 7-6(7) to reach the final in Rotterdam – a tournament he had not participated in in a decade. The Swiss No. 2 struck 25 winners, 10 aces and did not allow any of the six break points he faced to get past him. The contest lasted a total of 98 minutes.

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“In general, I’ve been playing really well,” said Wawrinka. “I’ve been really aggressive and moving well in the rallies. I served well when I was (against) a break point. It’s only one or two points that make the difference and I played a good tie-break.”

Wawrinka will come up against Tomas Berdych, who reached the final with a straightforward victory against Gilles Simon. He defeated the Frenchman 6-2, 6-1 in 58 minutes to put himself just one match away from retaining the indoor title. His service games were solid, and Berdych even converted 4 of 5 break points to add to his 14 winners.

“My game was good and the game plan was even better,” said Berdych. “It was a very good game. I need to keep going as there is still one more match to go. I want to go all the way.”

While Berdych has been a force on the tour so far this season, he will have his work cut out for him against Wawrinka, a player who has dominated their rivalry over the past while. Apart from a 10-5 lead in the head-to-head series, Wawrinka has won eight of their last nine meetings, including a thrashing at the World Tour Finals in London.

“I’ve been improving, but he’s been playing really well at the beginning of the year,” Wawrinka said of Berdych. “He won here last year so he will be very dangerous. I need to play my best game to have a chance to beat him.”

Prediction: Stan Wawrinka in Three Sets

Two-time defending champion Kei Nishikori needed to muster up some of his best tennis to overcome his American adversary and arrive at the final of the Memphis Open. He is now one match away from completing the ‘three peat’ at this tournament, and that final obstacle is world No. 15 Kevin Anderson. This is just the second time these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Nishikori leading the series 1-0.

The Japanese No. 1 withstood some serious service power from Sam Querrey on Saturday to arrive at his third consecutive final in Memphis. Nishikori rallied from a set down to defeat the American 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) in a match that lasted 2 hours and 41 minutes.

“I thought a couple times that I might lose today,” said Nishikori, who will bid for his eighth ATP World Tour crown. “I knew it was going to be tough because I didn’t break any of his serves and he was hitting a lot of aces… It was really tough to make any returns.

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“I’m very happy to come to the final again. I’m a little bit tired from playing three tough matches, but it’s just one more match.”

Nishikori will come up against Kevin Anderson in the final, who is seeded second at the event. The South African No. 1 rallied from a set down against Donald Young to defeat the American 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. It was an impressive showing that served to avenge his loss to Young last season, and put Anderson in the running for a third title on the ATP World Tour.

“I thought it was a really tough match,” said Anderson. “There were parts of the match where I didn’t feel like I maybe played my best tennis, but I was able to hang in there.

“I’ve got a shot at winning the title tomorrow and that’s what I came here to do. It feels good to be in the final. I’ve enjoyed this week… I’m going to treat it like any other match. Obviously it’s a final, but I’m just going to focus on what has worked well for me this week.”

This marks the first time that Nishikor and Anderson will meet on the professional tour since 2010, when they crossed paths at the Washington final. It is just their second meeting overall and could make for a riveting match-up. Nishikori is competing for his third title in Memphis, while Anderson is looking to notch his third overall title on the tour.

Prediction: Kei Nishikori in Three Sets