Sydney NSW, Australia, 10 January 2014 | apiainternational.com.au

Two enticing men’s semifinal match-ups will headline the Day 6 schedule on Ken Rosewall Arena, before the women’s final kicks off under lights at 7.30pm.

Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) [1] v Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) [4]

Ken Rosewall Arena – third match, day session (head-to-head 2-0 del Potro)

The top seed survived his second straight three-set match in Sydney, and said following the match that he was starting to feel better about his game after a slightly rusty opening match. He can afford no such rust when he takes on Tursunov, a champion here at the Apia International back in 2008 and a player who has slipped under the radar in the Harbour City this year. The Russian dismissed the dangerous Denis Istomin in straight sets on Thursday and is a fantastic shotmaker who thrives on the pace of his opponent’s shots and quick courts, both of which will be factors in his match-up with del Potro on Friday. Yet del Potro revealed that he had high expectations for himself coming to Sydney this year, and with 27 places separating them in the rankings, he will demand of himself victory over the Russian when they clash on Ken Rosewall Arena.

Bernard Tomic (AUS) v Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) [Q]

Ken Rosewall Arena – fourth match, day session (head-to-head 1-0 Tomic)

Tomic’s title defence continued in style on Thursday night when he overcame a dispiriting 1-5 head-to-head record against Alexandr Dolgopolov to beat the Ukrainian in a centre court clinic. He’ll be feeling great about his game when he takes on another Ukrainian in the semifinals, Sergiy Stakhovsky. Yet Stakhovsky has reason himself to feel good about his level of tennis, having come through three rounds of qualifying and then eliminating the in-form Marinko Matosevic in straight sets in the quarterfinals after Tomic had bested his countryman. It will be a match pitting baseliner against net rusher, and with both players enjoying the quick pace of the courts and hitting their stride at the business end of the tournament, it promises to be an entertaining encounter, enhanced by what will likely be a buoyant crowd supporting their local charge.

Angelique Kerber (GER) [5] v Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) [Q]

Ken Rosewall Arena – women’s final, 7.30pm (head-to-head 1-1)

Few predicted this final when the draw came out, but seeing Angelique Kerber in a WTA decider is certainly not out of the ordinary as the German enters her third season as a top 10 player. Pironkova’s berth in the title match, however, has raised several eyebrows, considering she’s a qualifier ranked No.107 and has never before progressed this far at a tour event. In fact, she’s the first qualifier ever to reach this stage of the Sydney tournament, but perhaps it should come as no surprise given the Bulgarian is a former Wimbledon semifinalist with a big-match mentality. In second seed Petra Kvitova and third seed Sara Errani, she’s also beaten some high-quality opposition in a sensational week at the Apia International. Kerber, however, represents arguably a more relentless opponent, with her superior fitness and consistency seeing her dismantle four opponents in straight sets in Sydney in 2014, most notably Madison Keys, who she swatted aside in a semifinal clinic. Both unorthodox shotmakers, this match-up is guaranteed to be an entertaining one for fans, and will unearth a brand new Apia International Sydney champion.