CHENNAI, India (AP)—Third-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland defeated Xavier Malisse of Belgium 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 on Sunday to win the Chennai Open.
The 21st-ranked Wawrinka overpowered his seventh-seeded opponent with a string of passing shots and cross-court winners in the final set to clinch the third title of his career. He lost just one point on his serve in the decider and broke Malisse twice.
Wawrinka lost to Marin Cilic of Croatia in the final here last year, and said the victory gave him a lot of confidence and “a perfect start for the Australian Open.”
The season’s first grand slam starts in Melbourne on Jan. 17.
“It was a perfect week for me,” Wawrinka said. “I improved my game day after day. I’ll be taking the confidence into the Australian Open.”
Wawrinka, who beat top-seeded Tomas Berdych in the semifinals, was broken in the opening game of the first set.
The Beijing Olympics doubles gold medalist responded with a break of his own in the eighth with a spectacular backhand down-the-line winner.
Wawrinka, who was given a wild card entry, won the next game to go up 5-4, sealing the last two points with a delicate drop shot followed by a forehand cross-court winner after he had wrong-footed the 60th-ranked Malisse.
After the next two games went to serve, the 25-year-old Wawrinka broke the Belgian again in the 12th game to seal the opening set.
The 2007 champion Malisse broke the Swiss in the third game and served and returned aggressively to win the second set.
Wawrinka came back strongly in the final set with breaks in the second and sixth games.
“(It is) always disappointing when you come so close in the final set,” Malisse said. “There can only be one winner. Unfortunately it wasn’t me.”