5 best matches at the Aircel Chennai Open

The Aircel Chennai Open has seen some brilliant tennis over the years, with some memorable matches being played out on the courts of Tamil Nadu's capital.Supported by Aircel, India’s most innovative telecom brand, the Chennai Open, which is India’s only ATP destination, has tested players big and small and fans have been treated to some stellar displays of tennis in the process.We chronicle 5 of the best matches on court at the Aircel Chennai Open in its two-decade history:

#5 Paes/Bhupathi vs Cibulek/Fukarek

Backs to the wall, Paes and Bhupathi eventually took their fourth Chennai Open title

Home favourites Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi made the finals of the Chennai Open for a fourth time at the 2002 Aircel Chennai Open, having already won the title on each of the three previous occasions.

This time, the duo faced the all-Czech pair of Tomáš Cibulec and Ota Fukárek, and looked by all means to be easy favourites to win their fourth title. It was the Czech pair who drew first blood, although Paes and Bhupathi returned the favour in the next game.

Cibulec and Fukárek bested the pair to take the first set 5-7, and then came back with a vengeance in the second set with some strong service as they managed to break their rivals twice in succession to dominate that set 6-2.

It wasn’t all over yet though, as the Indians were pushed to the brink yet again, trailing in the final set and broken at love by Cibulec and Fukarek. Now on the back foot, Bhupathi and Paes persevered, although it wasn’t until the seventh game of that match that they managed to break back. They would then break them yet again to win the deciding set 7-5 and with it, their fourth title together at the Aircel Chennai Open.

#4 Carlos Moya vs Somdev Devvarman, 2009

Devvarman turned giant-killer to slay a former World No. 1

Although Devvarman is doubtless talented, most tennis fans would consider a match up between former World No. 1 Moya and the former top Indian player to go rousingly the way of the Spaniard.

Moya is a crowd favourite at the Chennai Open and had won the title twice on the trot in 2004 and 2005, both times beating Thai ace Paradorn Srichaphan in the final.

The Spaniard took the first set relatively easily, winning 4-6 and likely hoping to close out the pre-quarterfinal match in straight sets. Devvarman charged in the second set, but still looked all set for a predictable loss at the tournament.

The 23-year-old played a tight second set to break Moya and keep the lead, taking the set 7-5, and then sealed the decider 6-4 to become the first Indian since Leander Paes in 1998 to reach the quarter-finals of the Open (Paes had then progressed to the semis.)

In a two hour, 13 minute match, Devvarman had managed to oust the French Open champion to take victory.

#3 Aljaz Bedene vs Roberto Bautista Agut, 2015

Bedene started off with a patchy game to stage a strong comeback against his Spanish rival

Slovenian-born Briton Aljaz Bedene, who is yet to win an ATP title, took on tournament third seed Roberto Bautista Agut. The Spaniard, who was (and continues to be) ranked higher than him and has two titles to his credit, was widely expected to take victory, although Bedene had been in form.

The first set went the way of Agut quite easily, with Bedene losing out 3-6, committing 20 unforced errors and playing a patchy game against the then-World No. 14.

The Briton made a breakthrough in the second set, however, and with his strong serve pocketed it 6-3.

It was the final set, the decider, that would go down to the wire and eventually end in a tiebreak. Agut had taken an early march in that set, leading Bedene 3-1. The Briton charged to neutralise the threat from his Spanish opponent, but still looked to be on the losing side, trailing 4-5 and two match points down at 15-40.

Despite the threat of imminent loss, Bedene held on to take the final set to a tiebreak, ultimately sealing a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 victory.

It was a big moment for the Briton, who had entered the tournament as a qualifier and would now be part of the final against top-10 player and reigning champion Stan Wawrinka.

#2 Milos Raonic vs Janko Tipsarevic, 2012

Canada’s Milos Raonic was up against World No. 9 Janko Tipsarevic in the 2012 final

At the finals of the 2012 Aircel Chennai Open, then top-10 player Janko Tipsarevic took on a relatively less-known Milos Raonic. Tipsarevic had been the top seed at the tournament, and in a rich vein of form at the time. Raonic, meanwhile, had replaced former winner Marin Cilic as the fourth seed after Cilic withdrew from the tournament with an injury.

Every set in the match went to a tiebreak, with the first going the way of Tipsarevic as Canadian Raonic held his own in the contest, which lasted a mammoth 3 hours and 16 minutes. Only 21 at the time and playing the World No. 9, Raonic did not appear to be too fazed, hitting 35 winners in a match that saw no break of serve.

The match was dramatic down to the wire, with Raonic serving for the tiebreak in the final set and looking poised to win with a 5-2 lead over Tipsarevic. At 6-3, it was still the Canadian who looked to be on the cusp of sealing his 2nd ATP career title.

Tipsarevic served for the point – and appeared to have already lost – but the ball had been in by a hair’s width, and a 5-2 tiebreak would finally end at 7-4 in favour of Raonic, with the 21-year-old winning 6-7, 7-6, 7-6.

#1 Rafael Nadal vs Carlos Moya, 2008

World No. 2 Nadal took on compatriot Carlos Moya in the 2008 final

At the semi-finals of the 2008 Chennai Open, Rafael Nadal, then the World No. 2 player and a semi-finalist at the previous year’s Open, was up against the 2005 winner, Spanish ace Carlos Moya.

The Spanish pair met again at the semifinals of the 2007 Open, and played a three-set decider – but that decider went down in history as the longest three-set match in ATP World Tour history. At an eye-watering 3 hours and 54 minutes, the pair sparred back and forth with three tie-breaks ensuing in the face-off – one every set.

The match saw Nadal attack Moya’s aggressive serve as he charged towards the net, with the then-No. 2 and former No. 1 exchanging some long rallies and intense volleying as the pair fought tooth and nail for every single point.

Moya looked poised at one point to take the match in straight sets, winning the first set and gaining four match points in the second set tie-break. It was his younger counterpart who made a late charge to eventually take the tiebreak.

The third set also went to a tiebreak, and Moya was poised to take that too. Despite Moya being at match point in the third set, it was Nadal who won in the end, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6.