Top seed Janko Tipsarevic gets his Chennai Open campaign underway on Thursday against talented Indian prospect Yuki Bhambri.
Tipsarevic enjoyed a stunning 2011 season, breaking the top ten for the first time and finishing the year ranked world number nine. But can the Serb go even higher ? To do so, he'll need to start regularly dominating tournaments like the Chennai Open. Tipsarevic has always performed his best in the past when seen as the underdog but this week, he's favourite for the title and it will be fascinating to see how he deals with the pressure.
He finally stepped up towards the end of last season, winning his first career title in Kuala Lumpur and following it up with another in Moscow.
This is his first match of the new season (he had a first round bye) and Bhambri is not an easy first opponent. The 19 year old may be ranked 345 and a wildcard entry but he was world number one in the juniors a couple of years ago and won the Australian Open boys title.
He produced a classy performance earlier in the week to see off Karol Beck 6-2, 6-3 to the delight of his home fans and he'll have plenty of support against Tipsarevic.
Prediction: Don't be surprised if the youngster gets a set but Tipsarevic to pull through in three.
