Delray Beach International Champ., Feb 21-Mar 1st

[choupi]

Marcos keeps up his US events tourney in Delray Beach.

Official site of the event:
www.yellowtennisball.com/online/

Main singles draw isn't out yet.

Hope Marcos can gain more and more confidence playing matches. The fitness seems to be back. Now, time for the results!!

[getta]

Main Draw

[1] Mardy Fish (USA) vs Qualifier
Vince Spadea (USA) vs Denis Gremelmayr (GER)
Qualifier vs Mischa Zverev (GER)
Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) vs [6] Florent Serra (FRA)

[3] Ernests Gulbis (LAT) vs Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)
Philipp Petzschner (GER) vs [SE] Dudi Sela (ISR)
Andrey Golubev (KAZ) vs [WC] Evan King (USA)
Tommy Haas (GER) vs [7] Jeremy Chardy (FRA)

[5] Steve Darcis (BEL) vs Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP)
Qualifier vs Gilles Muller (LUX)
Paul Capdeville (CHI) vs Robert Kendrick (USA)
Qualifier vs [4] Igor Kunitsyn (RUS)

[8] Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) vs [WC] Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)
Stefan Koubek (AUT) vs Bobby Reynolds (USA)
Roko Karanusic (CRO) vs Christophe Rochus (BEL)
Guillermo Canas (ARG) vs [2WC] Sam Querrey (USA)

[getta]

Tuesday OoP

STADIUM

Matches Start at 11:00am
Vincent SPADEA (USA) vs Denis GREMELMAYR (GER)

Not Before 12:30pm
Yen-Hsun LU (TPE) vs Lleyton HEWITT (AUS)

followed by
Tommy HAAS (GER) vs Jeremy CHARDY (FRA)

Not Before 5:15pm
Rajeev RAM (USA)/Bobby REYNOLDS (USA)
vs
Xavier MALISSE (BEL)/Vincent SPADEA (USA)

Not Before 7:00pm
Ernests GULBIS (LAT) vs Marcos BAGHDATIS (CYP)

followed by
Mardy FISH (USA) vs Frank DANCEVIC (CAN)

[getta]

Marcos defeated Ernests Gulbis 7-5 6-2.

Wish I could say a win is a win, but both players should feel utterly ashamed for their performance. Fortunately for Marcos, Gulbis managed to play even crappier than him.

Dudi Sela is next. Being torn between two faves, I don't really care who wins (although I slightly favour Marcos cuz he was sidelined by long-term injuries last year). I do want to see an exciting match. Hope Marcos gets focused on raising his game.

Pame Marko!!!

[getta]

www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20090225/Delray_Beach_%E2%80%93_Baghdatis_dispatches_Gulbis

Delray Beach – Baghdatis dispatches Gulbis

2/25/09 2:56 AM | Cheryl Murray

Ernests Gulbis continued his 2009 struggles with a straight set loss to Marcos Baghdatis in the first round in Delray Beach.

Ernests Gulbis still has not advanced past the second round in now seven tournaments in 2009. The young Latvian has been struggling mightily with his form since January. He is actually ranked 42nd in the world, but it was his opponent (ranked some 60 spots beneath him) who was in control of this match.

The two men played fairly evenly for most of the first set. They traded breaks of serve early in the set and seemed destined to force a tiebreaker. Serving at 5-5, Gulbis faltered and was broken a second time to give Baghdatis a single break lead. The Cypriot was able to serve out the set and pocket the set.

Gulbis seemed to lose steam in the second set. He had two chances to break on Baghdatis’ serve, but was unable to convert. Conversely, Baghdatis was quite successful on his own break-point chances. The Cypriot converted two of the four he earned in what would be the final set.

Baghdatis will play Dudi Sela from Israel in his second-round match. Sela advanced when opponent Philipp Petzschner withdrew with an injury.

=================================================

I know Cheryl. Well, she's polite enough not to "offend" the players and their fans. On the other hand, sweeping it under the rug is not my style.

[getta]

Thursday OoP

STADIUM

Matches Start at 11:00am
Rajeev RAM (USA) / Bobby REYNOLDS (USA)
vs
Jamie MURRAY (GBR) / Dusan VEMIC (SRB)

Not Before 12:30pm
Mardy FISH (USA) vs Vincent SPADEA (USA)

followed by
Mischa ZVEREV (GER) vs Florent SERRA (FRA)


Not Before 5:15pm
Andrey GOLUBEV (KAZ) vs Jeremy CHARDY (FRA)


Not Before 7:00pm
Marcos BAGHDATIS (CYP) vs Dudi SELA (ISR)

followed by
Bob BRYAN (USA) / Mike BRYAN (USA)
vs
Scott LIPSKY (USA) / David MARTIN (USA)

[getta]

www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20090227/Delray_Beach_Baghdatis_downs_Sela_in_straights

Delray Beach Baghdatis downs Sela in straights

2/27/09 4:00 AM | Cheryl Murray

Crowd favorite Marcos Baghdatis moved into the quarterfinals with a straight set victory over scrappy Israeli Dudi Sela.

Dudi Sela is ranked 65 in the world, exactly 35 spots above Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus. However, Baghdatis is a former world No. 8 and he was the Australian Open finalist 2 years ago and he was only the underdog in the match on paper. The Cypriot came into 2009 off a year filled with poor form and injury, but he appears to be somewhat back on track. He made the round of 16 at the Australian Open and the quarters in Johannesburg.

Sela’s lead in to Delray Beach was impressive. The Israeli navigated through the qualifying draw in Memphis to advance all the way through the semifinals in the main draw. His first set against Baghdatis reflected his improved form. He was able to take advantage of the Cypriot’s poor first serve percentage to keep the set close. Baghdatis was eventually able to win the set after a tightly contested tiebreaker.

Baghdatis had a bit more breathing room in the second, though his first serve percentage still languished at 48%. Two service breaks for Baghdatis sealed the match in straights.

The Cypriot will take on France’s Jeremy Chardy in the quarterfinals.

[getta]

www.tennisweek.com/news/fullstory.sps?inewsid=6628009

The Evans Report: Belgian Brain Power Illuminates Delray

By Richard Evans
Thursday, February 26, 2009

....

Meanwhile this well-staged and well-placed event — the public facility is just one block away from the beginning of Delray’s great strip of restaurants, shops and art galleries on Atlantic Avenue — continues to provide a good insight into the pro game for the numerous tennis fans who live on this Fort Lauderdale to West Palm Beach stretch of the Florida coast. Apart from Fish, who cruised through his second round match today against Vince Spadea 6-4, 6-1, the star attraction this year is the engaging Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis. ( ) In the first round Baghdatis found himself facing the highly talented young Latvian Ernests Gulbis — a tougher first round than he might have expected at an ATP 250 event which, for those who don’t keep up with these things, is the third rung on the ATP list of tournaments behind the Masters 1000 and the 500 events.

"But this is life on the tour these days," said Baghdatis who is attempting to force his way back to the top of the game after three different injuries sent his ATP ranking plummeting from 16 to 100 last year. "There are so many good players; you never get an easy match. Everyone can play good tennis."

...

[getta]

www.tennis.com/news/news.aspx?id=167034

Fish defeats Spadea in Delray Beach; Serra next

Last Modified: 2/26/2009 9:34:11 PM

...

Former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis, who outlasted close childhood friend, Dudi Sela 7-6 (7), 6-3 will face Chardy in the quarterfinals.

Baghdatis led 5-0 in the first-set tiebreaker, but Sela refused to give up without a fight and held one set point in the tiebreaker.

In the second set, Baghdatis raced to a 5-0 lead but lost the next three games before closing out the match.

“He wasn’t going to give up and I’m pretty happy I won,” said Baghdatis, coming off an injury plagued 2008. “I went through a tough match today and I’m looking forward to the next match.”

...

[getta]

Marcos defeated Dudi Sela 7-6(7) 6-3.

Today Marcos played a lot better than yesterday. My detailed report later today cuz I need to catch up on lost sleep.

[getta]

Friday OoP

STADIUM

Matches Start at 11:00am
Eric BUTORAC (USA) / Bruno SOARES (BRA)
vs
Rohan BOPANNA (IND) / Jarkko NIEMINEN (FIN)

Not Before 12:30pm
Stefan KOUBEK (AUT) vs Christophe ROCHUS (BEL)

followed by
Marcos BAGHDATIS (CYP) vs Jeremy CHARDY (FRA)


Not Before 5:15pm
Guillermo GARCIA-LOPEZ (ESP) vs Evgeny KOROLEV (RUS)

Not Before 7:00pm
Mardy FISH (USA) vs Florent SERRA (FRA)

followed by
Philipp PETZSCHNER (GER) / Alexander PEYA (AUT)
vs
Marcelo MELO (BRA) / Andre SA (BRA)

[choupi]

Marcos lost to Jérémy 6-7 6-7.

[choupi]

Seventh seed Jeremy Chardy secured his place in the quarter-finals with a 7-6(7), 7-6(3) victory over Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis. Chardy squandered a 5-2 lead in the first set before clinching the one-set lead on a tie-break. After breaks were exchanged in the second set, the Frenchman claimed victory in a second tie-break after one hour and 49 minutes.

www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/1/en/news/newsarticle_2382.asp