The top guns are ready to fire as the Chennai Open enters the penultimate day of its grand show.

Bhagya L Ayyavoo

Somdev Devvarman and Sanam Singh too are in action as they eye their maiden doubles final in Chennai.

Tickets haven been sold out as Chennai awaits a packed stadium for the star-semifinal line-up.

The cast has Marin Cilic – who is eyeing a second straight final berth. The 21-year-old world No.14 is the second seed and the highest-ranked player left in the field.

On his road to the semis, Cilic thrashed Igor Kunitsyn 6-2, 6-4 in the opening round which was by far his best performance in this edition.

The defending champion survived a big scare in the second round as he just about managed to edge past Spaniard Marcel Granollers, 6-7(3) 6-3 6-4.

The quarter-final match too was a hard-fought affair, where he defeated Santiago Giraldo of Columbia, 7-6, 6-1.

Cilic’s strength, which is his serve, has been a major worry so far. His first-serve percentage that’s lurking around 50% in the last couple of games has to get better on Saturday if he is to stand a chance against in-form and relaxed fourth-seed - Janko Tipsarevic.

The most-stylish player of the tournament, Tipsy is on red-hot form, striking the ball consistently. The Serb is yet to drop a set.

He beat Carlos Moya, Somdev Devvarman and Thiemo de Bakker in straight sets and so far been untroubled in the tournament. The world No.38 is looking for a double as well, after advancing to the semifinals with Chinese Taipei partner Yen Hsun Lu.

Tipsarevic and Lu will face crowd favourite Somdev and Sanam Singh for a place in Sunday’s title clash. With third seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna bowing out, the Indian wild-card duo will be under pressure when they step onto center court in the third match of the evening. Somdev and Sanam beat Rik de Voest and Scott Lipsky as well as Jeff Coetzee and Rogier Wassen in straight sets and are looking formidable as a team.

The other man in sterling form is Swiss No.2 Stanislas Wawrinka. So far, the world No.21 has disposed Rohan Bopanna, Michael Russell and Michael Berrer in straight sets.

The third seed will be up against fifth-seeded Dudi Sela, who is ranked No.43 in the world. The Israeli has been making quite progress away from centre court seeing off Denis Istomin, Kevin Kim and Lukas Lacko to reach the last-four stage.

Meanwhile, in the other doubles semifinals on Saturday night, the second-seeded all-Spanish team of Marcel Granollers and Santiago Ventura will try to quell the British challenge in Colin Fleming and Kevin Skupski who knocked out third-seeded Indians Mahesh Bhupathi and Bopanna.