Janko Tipsarevic is closing in on his third career title as he takes on Go Soeda in the Chennai Open semi-finals.
Tipsarevic found himself in a surprisingly tough quarter-final battle on Friday afternoon with Belgian wildcard David Goffin. Now Goffin may be ranked outside the top 200 and he stands at just 5'4 but he's enjoyed a dream week, beating former finalist Xavier Malisse in round one and he pushed Tipsarevic all the way before going down 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.
It was the sort of long baseline tussle that the Serb needed to shake off the rust after the long off season and he'll be all the better for it. Tipsarevic has been talking confidently all week about his ambitions for 2012 and he's aiming for the top five.
27 year old Soeda is another man with big dreams for the year ahead (albeit smaller milestones than the ones Tipsarevic is aiming for). He's been on the circuit for many years but he's never been higher than 90 in the world and after the success of his compatriot Kei Nishikori in reaching the world's top 25, Soeda believes he can go much higher.
He's certainly impressed this week, stunning defending champion Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4, 6-4 in the quarters.
Prediction: Tipsarevic in two.
