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Post by getta on Oct 7, 2011 4:56:42 GMT -5
just a couple of days ago, Copa Peugeot Argentina de Tenis staff announced Marcos will take part in their exhibition event in December (December 15-18) in Buenos Aires. the organisers also announced the Gaston Gaudio's farewell match against Mariano Zabaleta. hehe, this year show will be the best show ever. ;D here we welcome the excellent news www.facebook.com/pages/Copa-Peugeot-Argentina-de-Tenis/106208608146vamos vamos Marcos y Gaston vamos vamos a ganar
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Post by getta on Oct 8, 2011 7:27:32 GMT -5
there are only a handful of blogs that i refer Marcos' fans to, usually for individual posts... cause most journalists and bloggers are well known for their trash which is just a pile of rubbish.
but, Jesse Pentecost is fully aware of the topics he covers in his blog. ============================================================================== www.thenextpoint.com/?p=1358It’s All GravyOctober 2nd, 2011
by Jesse PentecostKuala Lumpur, Final
Tipsarevic d. Baghdatis, 6/4 7/5Janko Tipsarevic was, until earlier today, the most notorious player in men’s tennis to have never won a title, a rankling accolade even in lean times, but surely gougingly painful in a year that has thus far produced nine first-time champions. Even Florian Mayer was in on the action. Tipsarevic dutifully insisted that his lack of a maiden title meant nothing – the mating cry of the perennial also-ran – that as long as he was winning and earning, that was all that mattered. We could say that he was merely seeking to lessen the burden of expectation on himself, but it is hard to imagine that he believed what he was saying, either. Did anyone? Bemused and skeptical pundits wavered momentarily. Were we merely imaging that sturdy monkey on the Serbian’s back, the one that pressed its claws deep whenever a title seemed within reach, the one that did for him at Del Ray, and crippled him in Eastbourne? It looked crushingly ingravescent, that expanding ape, but according to the man himself it was scarcely noticeable, and easily preferable to lugging around trophies, which is notoriously dangerous work. After Tipsarevic had contrived to serve out the match – it took multiple forays, courtesy of a belatedly-dogged opponent, and the ceaseless ministrations of that monkey – it suddenly seemed as though titles were all the thing. Overwhelmed, Tipsarevic sounded like George Costanza promising his secretary a raise at the point of orgasm. First he promised Baghdatis a certain return to the top ten. Then he guaranteed the tournament itself that 500 status was merely a matter of time. (Janko, you titanic arselicking bastard ) Just so it is clear, neither of things lie within Tipsarevic’s new-found power to grant. My stream went dead before Baghdatis could offer a rejoinder, although he was clearly in the mood to. Interviewed first, the Cypriot endured the formulaic blandishments with reasonable grace, but when the interviewer remarked on his wonderful season, he wasn’t about to let that slide: ‘Actually, I’ve had a terrible season.’ This inspired a throw-me-a-bone-here routine from the lady with the mic, and Baghdatis looked disconsolate and bone-weary and bored from having to engage with this crap at all. Throughout the match I’d been struck by his introspection, how lonely he looked, precisely unlike the brash youth who’d swept so many before him five years ago. Careers don’t always turn out like the should. (bravo Jesse, your sharpened knife gets through the bone! )Still, Tipsarevic at 27 is proving it’s never too late. He leaps five spots to No.12 in the world, supplanting Viktor Troicki as the No.2 Serbian. His aim for 2011 was a top 20 finish, an apparently ambitious goal for a late starter only now getting his act together. If it has turned out he aimed too low, we can hardly begrudge him some caution, it hasn’t mattered anyway. Like the title he now has but never cared about, it’s all just gravy.
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Post by getta on Oct 8, 2011 8:01:44 GMT -5
If Stockholm Open on Facebook:according to Google's machine translation system: Baghdatis is playing well in Asia and reached the finals last week in the Malaysian Open. We hope the form continues to Stockholm!======================================================================== come on, Marcos
Stockholm is such a cool place, one of the best places in Europe to come on the tour.
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Post by getta on Oct 31, 2011 12:24:31 GMT -5
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Post by getta on Nov 24, 2011 4:36:55 GMT -5
from Marcos' official site:(Marcos' blog entry today) baghdatis.com/articles/view/marcos-checks-in-1Marcos Checks InHi everyone, It’s been great to spend some time at home after a long year travelling on the tour, and now the pre-season training is underway. I’m working really hard! First of all let me tell you about my new house! Away from tennis, it’s been interesting and fun to furnish my new house that my father built in Cyprus. It’s in my village called Paramytha. It has just been completed and I have furnished the house and made some final touches. It’s a beautiful place and the house has a gym, tennis court, ice bath Jacuzzi , pool and a large barbeque/entertaining area. So I’m looking forward to having lots of fun over Christmas with family and friends in my own home! Looking back, I did not have a good year unfortunately, but there were some great moments. For sure in Malaysia, the tournament in Kuala Lumpur was the highlight this year. I had a good run there to reach the final. Another highlight was Wimbledon, where I had a good run, and the match with World No. 1 Djokovic in the third round. I would say that was my most memorable match of the year, playing at Wimbledon against Djokovic. You all know that I like to play on grass in one of my favourite tournaments of the season, which is Wimbledon. I can’t wait to go back next year! On reflection, my serve was, I can say, very bad during the year. And although I have worked on fitness, after Rotterdam when I got ill and was in bed for 10 days, I think we made a big mistake with my ex-coach Guillaume when we did not take a break and rest and work on coming back. We entered many tournaments instead and it was a mistake that cost me half the season. Starting work with Miles in July was a positive thing. He brought positivity and aggression to my game and made me realise a big part of the game I was playing, and to see how I needed to play my game, which I did the last three months. That gives me a lot of hope and optimism for the upcoming season. During the off-season I think I will work on lots of areas. Miles and my trainer have put together the programme that I need to do. For sure I will work on strength training, my endurance and all fitness areas. With Miles I’ll be on the court working on my game, playing aggressive tennis, plus working on some details like the serve, volley, forehand and all techniques. I want you all to know I am definitely committed to working hard on my tennis and want to make it enjoyable for the fans to enjoy the New Year, and the season of tennis that is coming up. I really appreciate the support you guys offer me throughout the year and can’t wait to see you all on tour next season. I wish everyone a peaceful and festive holiday and will see you all in the New Year. All my best, Marcos
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Post by getta on Dec 23, 2011 1:21:06 GMT -5
from Marcos' official site:baghdatis.com/articles/view/meet-milesMeet MilesMarcos has been working with British coach Miles Maclagan for the past six months. In the following interview, we find out what changes they have been working on and the hopes that Miles, former coach to Andy Murray, has for Marcos. What attracted you to working with Marcos?I think he could have some really good results because he plays an exciting and aggressive game that can make a lot of players uncomfortable and can beat anyone on his day. How would you describe Marcos as a player and as a person? What are his strengths? What makes him exciting to work with?He's quite spontaneous, which I think can transfer into his game. That is why people enjoy watching him and helps to keep his opponents guessing as to what's coming next. He's worked really professionally in our time together and played a lot of good matches without reward at the end of this year, so I hope there are some wins in store for him At 26, what do you think Marcos can still achieve in tennis? How do you think he can improve as a player?At 26, he's in good shape. At the start of this year he was ranked about No. 20, so he can definitely get back to that and further. With his ability to beat almost anyone it would be great to see him go a long way in a slam How have you approached the off-season training schedule? Can you give us an idea what Marcos’ training regime has been like during the off-season?The first two weeks were spent concentrating on the physical side with his trainer, Panna. This is the best time to build strength and fitness levels. Weeks 3 and 4 became more tennis focussed, and we went to Argentina hoping to get two or three matches in. What goals do you have for the 2012 season?He was playing an aggressive style at the end of the year, so my main hope is for him to continue this so that it becomes second nature.
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Post by getta on Jan 6, 2012 9:39:24 GMT -5
www.thenextpoint.com/?p=1558Bold PredictionsJanuary 6th, 2012 by Jesse PentecostBrisbane, Quarterfinals
(1) Murray d. Baghdatis, 6/2 6/2
(8) Tomic d. Istomin, 6/3 7/6About five years ago, in the grip of that special insanity called adolescence, a fourteen-year-old Bernard Tomic predicted with unabashed solemnity that he would claim the calendar Grand Slam and the top ranking by the age of eighteen. Forgive him: he was young, and who among us did not make boasts as deluded in their youth? The difference was that Tomic has been hyped extravagantly in his home country since an early age, in recent times surpassed only by Richard Gasquet. Whereas our foolish comments are made to friends, and thus stop there, Tomic made his to the largest newspaper in Australia. Consequently, they’ve stuck. As with countless unrealised doomsdays, his eighteenth birthday came and went, and keen onlookers were intrigued to discover that he had won no Slams, and that his ranking was somewhere below 200. The earth has completed its orbit once since then, with the miraculous result that Tomic is a year older. He still has no majors – it turns out they’re quite elusive – but his ranking has soared to No.42. (Some will know this as the answer to the question of life, the universe and everything. Others won’t, which is their loss.) He is rising fast. Being older, and apparently more mature, Tomic has since distanced himself from those earlier predictions. Today during their Brisbane coverage, Channel 7 featured him in one of those lethally inconsequential fluff pieces they air between matches so that the presenters can have their frightening smiles re-affixed. It showed Tomic toiling hard in the gym, encouragingly focussing on exactly the things he should be focussing on: explosive movement and fast-twitch response. Also encouragingly, he conceded that it is only a matter of time until his peers figure out his strange game, and that he is constantly adding new elements in anticipation of this. He went on to praise the top three. He then revealed that he intends on breaking into the top ten this year, and on winning his first major. Happy, his newfound maturity saw him admit that he might not actually win a major in 2011, and that he is willing to wait until next year. In other words, Tomic’s expectations have grown markedly less crazy, but that doesn’t mean they’re now realistic. Admitting that he was unlikely to surpass Federer’s haul of 16 majors, he graciously confessed that he be happy with ‘only three or four’. This will presumably come as a relief to the rest of the tour. Today Tomic overcame Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin in straight sets, which to my knowledge has never been regarded as a key indicator of Slam-worthiness. Now that tennis has returned to Channel 7, the local broadcaster has resumed its practice of placing a tiny Australian flag next to the local players’ names, in the probably justified hope that this will make them more likeable. The other players don’t get a little flag, since all foreign countries are apparently more or less alike. To ram this home, the camera kept focussing on Alexandr Dolgopolov watching from the stands. John Fitzgerald suggested that Dolgopolov was there because ‘they hail from the same part of the world’, notwithstanding that Ukraine and Uzbekistan do not share a border. (The idea that the pair might be friends was not aired. Are foreigners even capable of friendship?) Anyway, Tomic will face Andy Murray in the semifinals, a man who has forgotten more about being overdue to win a major than even Tomic might ever learn. Murray was frighteningly complete in overcoming Marcos Baghdatis. He hadn’t been this complete when he snuck past Baghdatis back in Tokyo, but he had been in destroying Nadal in the final of that event. Today looked like that. He won the first point with a backhand struck with so much force that Baghdatis didn’t even move to it, despite the ball nearly hitting him in the leg. Wondrously, the Scot’s forehand was even better.
For all that form in the lead-up tournaments means little for most majors – and even less at the Australian Open – it was the kind of performance that will compel the other top players to take note. If they don’t, they are bound to be reminded of it upon arriving in Melbourne, and hourly after that. Cast your mind back to 2009, when Murray cleaned up in Doha, and was immediately installed as the favourite ahead of Djokovic (defending champion), Nadal (world No.1), and Federer (Roger Federer). In any case, preparing for the Australian Open has not been Murray’s problem of late. Ending it has.
Regardless, expect an entertaining match against Tomic tomorrow, in which the Australian will likely discover that some players have figured out his game much quicker than others.
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Post by getta on Jan 6, 2012 10:00:34 GMT -5
Neil Harman on twitter:@andy_murray 6-2 6-2. What can one say but mightily impressive especially on the forehand. Baghdatis well and truly thumped 10 hours ago
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Post by getta on Jan 8, 2012 7:56:22 GMT -5
www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/marcos-baghdatis-revives-the-passion-that-helped-him-to-an-australian-open-final/story-e6frexni-1226235950269Marcos Baghdatis revives the passion that helped him to an Australian Open final Tyson Otto The Daily Telegraph January 04, 2012 12:00AM Passion: Marcos Baghdatis has taken on a new coach and an aggressive style. Picture: Chris Hyde. Source: Getty Images MARCOS Baghdatis says he has rediscovered the anger and aggression that saw him blast his way to an Australian Open final six years ago.The Cypriot world No. 44, who will be one of the headline acts at next week's Apia International Sydney, says his drop in heavy hitting was directly to blame for his struggle to break into the top 20 in recent years. Now that fire is back. The 26-year-old only allowed himself a 10-day break between the end of his 2011 season and his 2012 pre-season, which he spent training with new coach Miles Maclagan at his home in Cyprus. "That's what I needed to do to get back to that level," Baghdatis said yesterday at the Brisbane International, where he will take on Japan's Kei Nishikori today. "We have been working on playing more aggressively. Working on every part of my game. "My serve and forehand is where I've noticed the most improvement. I'm playing much more aggressive." It has taken a lot of hard work to get to where he is. He admits changing to a more up-tempo in-your-face style forced him to play out of his comfort zone at the end of the 2011 season. Especially when you consider his reputation for being one of the more relaxed players in the men's game. "It was not too easy to begin with, but we've been working on it since the end of the US Open so we've had time to work on it," he said. "Playing aggressively comes naturally to me, so its nice to have that back." Baghdatis has failed to rekindle the form that saw him become one of the favourite international acts for local tennis fans when he surged into the 2006 Australian Open final. Since then he has been hampered by a combination of niggling injuries and inconsistent form. His last tournament win came at Sydney Olympic Park in 2010. His form in Australia, however, bucks the trend of his hot and cold recent form. In the past two Australian summers, Baghdatis has won 12 of his 16 matches. Last year he went 28-27. Baghdatis has always had a special relationship with Aussie hardcourts. He may be a rank outsider at $101 with TAB Sportsbet to win the Australian Open, but he also headed into his famous 2006 campaign with even less hype on the back of a first-round exit in Auckland the week before. Baghdatis says he is feeling perfect less than two weeks away from the start of the Australian grand slam. "I am feeling the benefits of it," he said. "I am feeling fit. The preparation has been perfect." Baghdatis missed last year's Apia International Sydney after withdrawing on the first day of the tournament with a groin injury. He heads into next week's event having won his previous five matches at Homebush, including wins over Lleyton Hewitt and Richard Gasquet, who, along with Juan Martin Del Potro and John Isner, will be his top rivals.
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Post by getta on Jan 18, 2012 14:29:31 GMT -5
uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/baghdatis-smashes-four-racquets-25-seconds-161345435.htmlBaghdatis smashes four racquets in 25 secondsBy Eurosport | World of Sport – 3 hours agoMarcos Baghdatis goes crazyIt is hardly a rare sight to see a tennis player smash a racquet but Marcos Baghdatis took his level of frustration to new levels at the Australian Open. After seeing his serve broken during a key moment of his second round match against Stanislas Wawrinka, the 2006 finalist completely lost his cool. Baghdatis smashed four racquets into ruin in the space of just 25 seconds — the last two of which he didn't even bother to take out of the wrapper. In the short-term, it seemed to galvanise the Cypriot as he managed to break back in the very next game. However, his new found momentum didn't last long, as Wawrinka went on to win the contest 7-6(3) 6-4 5-7 6-1 to set up a third round clash against Nicolas Almagro.
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Post by getta on Jan 18, 2012 18:06:13 GMT -5
www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9023617/Marcos-Baghdatis-smashes-four-tennis-racquets-at-the-Australian-Open.htmlWednesday 18 January 2012 Marcos Baghdatis smashes four tennis racquets at the Australian OpenThe frustrated Cypriot vents his anger on his equipment after falling two sets down to Stanislas Wawrinka. There's losing with grace. There's losing with anger. And then there's losing Baghdatis style. Mad with rage at being two sets down and dropping serve early in the third set, former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis provided the Margaret Court crowd in Melbourne with fireworks when he smashed four racquets in a spectacular 25-second fit of pique. In a way it seemed to work, as the Cypriot went on to win the third set, but he ultimately went down to Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka in four sets, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 5-7, 6-1. Still, it could be argued he did leave his mark on the court.
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Post by getta on Jan 19, 2012 6:42:36 GMT -5
tvnz.co.nz/tennis-news/baghdatis-causes-racquet-his-rage-goes-viral-4694001Baghdatis causes racquet as his rage goes viral9:44PM Thursday January 19, 2012Whack. Whack, whack, whack. Whack. Whack. Four broken racquets, $1,250 worth of fines and more than 200,000 hits on video sharing website YouTube was all it needed for Marcos Baghdatis to enter Australian Open folklore. Video footage of the 26-year-old Cypriot's spectacular display of fury and pique in his second round loss to Stanislas Wawrinka on Margaret Court Arena was broadcast around the world on television before it went viral today. "I haven't seen that," Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic said on Thursday. "I heard about it. I haven't seen that. I'm going to go to YouTube now, check that out." While Baghdatis's 30-second outburst of incandescent rage actually helped him temporarily turn around his performance before Wawrinka won their encounter in four sets, other players at Melbourne Park had different feelings on the matter. "I'm not surprised that he broke a racquet," said women's fourth seed Maria Sharapova, whose own expletive-riddled outbursts against umpires and crowds have ended up on the video sharing website. "Personally I haven't broken too many in my career. Don't recall breaking one during a match. (I) have broken a couple at practice. "Um, but must be a good feeling. I mean, yeah, just let it all go, I guess." Former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, who said she had smashed a few of her own racquets in her time, expressed a veiled admiration for Baghdatis's effort. "I do smash racquets sometimes. Last time I smashed not as many, but I smashed three racquets. That was U.S. Open I think '09," she said. "I lost (the) match after being a match point up. I was quite upset (but) it didn't really make me better, so I decided, 'what's the point'?" Five-times Australian Open champion Serena Williams also expressed some admiration at Baghdatis's ability to go through four racquets in quick succession. "I've never done that. That's impressive, wow," said Williams, who has fallen foul of authorities at recent U.S. Open tournaments for her rants against the umpiring. "I actually used to break a lot of racquets on the court. I sometimes break them in practice, just not in a match anymore." Djokovic, whose own tempestuous behaviour earlier in his career was as well known as his developing talent, broke his racket in rage against Baghdatis at Wimbledon last year. "I'm not doing it as often, which is good for my coach," Djokovic said. "But when I have a smash of the racquet, smack of the racquet, I usually feel relieved afterwards. I feel that the pressure is out." France's sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who appears unflappable on court, however, said he had never smashed a racquet in his life and had a simple reason for his restraint. "Sometimes you get angry and it's difficult to control yourself but my father told me all the time, 'if you broke the racquet, I broke you'. "So I go easy with the racquet."
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Post by getta on Jan 19, 2012 6:55:02 GMT -5
sports.in.msn.com/tennis/article.aspx?cp-documentid=575971319/01/2012 Baghdatis fined for smashing four racquetsMelbourne: Down two sets and a break, Marcos Baghdatis sat in his chair at the changeover and smashed his racket seven times until it was almost unrecognizable. He wasn't finished yet.Baghdatis calmly gave the mangled racket to a ballboy, plucked a new one out of his bag and cracked that as well. The next two, he didn't even bother taking out of the plastic wrapping. In all, the fiery Cypriot broke four rackets in a row during an Australian Open meltdown that earned him a $1,250 fine on Thursday. His frustration released, Baghdatis went on to win the third set but lost the late-night match Wednesday 7-6 (3), 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 to Stanislas Wawrinka. The racket rage was still the talk of Melbourne Park on Thursday. "I didn't know he broke a racket, but I'm not surprised," Maria Sharapova said. "Personally I haven't broken too many in my career. Don't recall breaking one during a match. Have broken a couple at practice. "But must be a good feeling. Just let it all go, I guess." Baghdatis, who could have been fined up to $2000 for his outburst, joined a list of players who have also been penalized for breaking their rackets at the tournament, including John Isner, Alexandr Dolgopolov and Denis Istomin. Donald Young, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Gilles Simon have been given $1,500 fines for audible obscenities. Baghdatis wasn't alone in losing his cool on Wednesday. After losing the fourth set of his marathon match against Isner, David Nalbandian threw his racket into a wall at Margaret Court Arena and was lucky it didn't rebound and hit a nearby linesperson. A ballboy picked up the racket and gave it back, only for the unhappy Argentine to fling it into the crowd. That wasn't the end of it, either. Nalbandian also angrily smashed his racket after netting a volley on match point and later verbally hit out at chair umpire Kader Nouni, who refused his request for a Hawk-eye challenge at break point at 8-8 in the fifth set because he had waited too long. "I mean, it's ridiculous playing this kind of tournament with this kind of umpires," Nalbandian said. "I mean, can you be that stupid to do that in that moment?" Nalbandian and Baghdatis still have some way to go before they can match former No. 1-ranked Marat Safin for racket-smashing prowess. The 2005 Australian Open champion once estimated that he had destroyed about 700 in his 12-year career. "Luckily I get them for free," said Safin, who recently won a seat in Russia's lower house of Parliament. ============================================================================ David Marat
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Post by getta on Jan 19, 2012 7:06:02 GMT -5
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Post by getta on Jan 21, 2012 12:29:02 GMT -5
www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/match_reports/2012-01-18/201201181326876871566.htmlFiery Baghdatis crash tests four racquets against WawrinkaWednesday, 18 January, 2012 By David BalcomBaghdatis crushes four racquets in four sets, loses to Stanislaw Wawrinka 7-6, 6-4, 5-7, 6-1.No one likes to follow John Isner. Before Marcos Baghdatis and Stan Wawrinka took the court, Isner and David Nalbandian stretched it out on Margaret Court Arena, in usual Isner style. After five sets and four hours, forty-one minutes, Isner again walked away the victor to a match that went way too long. But Isner's failure to break and close in four sets instead of where he ended up -- at 10-8 in the fifth-- had one great effect: it made Baghdatis v. Wawrinka a night match. The crowd was already amped, the vibe in the boxing ring-shaped Margaret Court Arena electric. See Baghdatis crash test four racquets. None of them made it to the third round either.It felt more like a Davis Cup match than a second-rounder. This typified the match: an enthusiastic, highly organised group of chanters belted out tune after tune between points for Baghdatis, and the rowdy rest was clearly with the Cypriot as well. Occasionally some quieter Swiss voices made noise for the classically underappreciated Wawrinka, but they were quickly shouted down. Baghdatis has been a crowd favourite here since 2006 when he made his epic run to the final only to get the Federer treatment in three of their four final sets. He hasn't progressed past the third round since then, but they love him anyway. (And who did Baghdatis beat in the semis that year, coming back from a two sets to love deficit? David Nalbandian. Poor guy.) Marcos Bahgdatis's racket bears the brunt of his frustration during his match against Stanislas Wawrinka on day three of the 2012 Australian Open GettyIt was only the second meeting between the Swiss and the Cypriot. Wawrinka won their first contest at Indian Wells in 2008 in three sets. So here's how it went: unseeded Baghdatis scrapped an early break out of the 21st seed and 2011 quarterfinalist Wawrinka in the first set, kept the pressure on the Swiss's forehand, and looked to make it a short first set. Instead he got sloppy and Wawrinka took full advantage, leveling the set at 5-5 and holding for a 6-5 lead. Baghdatis then held for 6-6 to force the tiebreak. Marcos didn't show up for the tiebreak until 0-5 in Wawrinka's favor, then clawed back to 3-6. To that point first set stats were near even, with only one winner separating the Swiss and the Cypriot. Unfortunately for Baghdatis, the next winner came at 6-3 for Wawrinka, a gutsy inside-out forehand that Steady Stan seared to close the set 7 points to 3 in the tiebreak. Wawrinka kept the pedal down to open the second set, breaking Baghdatis in the first game and swinging away with impunity to take a 2-0 lead. The world No. 44 from Cyprus got it back together and started to hit freely again. Wawrinka bricked a cross-court backhand to give Baghdatis a break point at 1-2. Baghdatis converted on another cross-court backhand unforced error by World No. 22 Wawrinka to level the second set at 2-2. Then it got really rowdy. Like Baghdatis's oil derrick service motion, the match momentum swung from each man to the other and back again, the energetic crowd further electrifying the match. It seemed more Flushing Meadows than Melbourne Park, but there's nothing wrong with that. The battle raged to 4-4, where Wawrinka pressured Baghdatis into a loose 0-40 service game, with Marcos giving up the game in a double-fault. Up a break and set to serve for a 2-0 lead, Wawrinka fell to 30-40, then produced some fierce wheels and a series of beautiful full-run stretch backhands to level the game at deuce. An ace and a clutch cross-court backhand that Baghdatis failed to convert at net put Stan up two sets to love. One thing about Marcos: when he's on, he can find the angles, from either wing. At his best he resembles his hero, a Mr. Agassi. Taking the ball on the rise, reading the court, fluidly exposing where his opponent isn't. Like Andre, he prowls. He pushes his opponent back, forces the short ball, then flattens out his forehand and puts it away. Unfortunately for Baghdatis, he can't play Andre's game as well as Andre did, and he doesn't move the way Agassi did. Baghdatis frequently found himself out of position, stretched out, not set for his shots. Another page from Mr. Agassi's book: fitness counts, and it counted tonight. (As it did in 2006 at the US Open when Agassi bested Baghdatis in his last professional win before falling to B. Becker. Okay that was more guts and heart than fitness, but the point remains. Fittingly, Baghdatis beat Benjamin Becker in the first round here.) Baghdatis held to open the first set, but failed to convert a break point at 1-0. Wawrinka held, then broke a tired Baghdatis at love, where the Cypriot broke some things of his own: racquet after racquet during the changeover --four in total-- earning him a code violation and $800 fine for racquet(s) abuse. Baghdatis found his cool again and broke Wawrinka (back! forth!) to tie the set at 2-2. At 2-2 they play the biggest and best game of the match, including but not limited to half a dozen deuces and a 31 shot rally where Wawrinka netted a cross-court forehand after a dead-run game-saver by Marcos. Credit Baghdatis channeling Andre on that point. Epic stuff, brilliant if not imprecise tennis, each man pushing the other way off the court, swinging with abandon. Baghdatis dug in to save a handful of break points with beautiful retrieving and gutsy all-out play, with Baghdatis finally holding for 3-2. Wawrinka held for 3-3 but made absolutely erratic errors on Baghdatis's 3-3 service game, with Baghdatis keeping his cool for a 40-0 hold. Back and forth they went, settling in to 4-4, each bloodying the other up with punch after punch, slugging it out to force an error, or just keeping his stuff together for one shot more than the other guy. Another crucial double fault by Baghdatis gave Wawrinka a break point at 30-40, which he converted with a scorcher of a backhand into the Baghdatis body to give Stan the lead at 5-4. Marcos may need a reminder that Wawrinka's backhand is his stronger shot. As is often the case with converting a huge break to serve out a match, only to be broken back … so it went with Wawrinka. Serving at 5-4, 15-30, Stan crushed a floater smash into the bottom of the net, then lost the game courtesy of a brilliant Baghdatis clutch forehand winner down the line. 5-5. You knew if Baghdatis could hold and break then it was a match. A long night's match. (Baghdatis no stranger to the Melbourne wee hours, having played the latest Open era match of all time in 2008 against Lleyton Hewitt. He lost that one in the fifth at 4:33am.) With Wawrinka serving at 5-6 to force the tiebreak, the Cypriot played a solid return game and the Swiss had no reply. At 15-40, Baghdatis drilled a service return on the rise (Andre?), with Wawrinka unable to handle, swinging his forehand wide down the line. Two sets to one. Then a tired Baghdatis donated a 0-40 service game with another double-fault to open the fourth and put Wawrinka on the board at 1-0. Wawrinka held, 2.0. Another see-saw game on Baghdatis's serve --where Wawrinka had real chances to run away with the set and the match, netting a relatively easy inside-out forehand to close the game-- but Baghdatis held for 1-2, then Wawrinka did the same for 3-1. The gas left Marcos's tank with Stan finding an impossible angle with that beautiful one-handed cross-court backhand to set up an insurance break for 4-1. Stan was too good in the final two games, his resolve too strong, his wheels too fast. It was over ten minutes later, with Stanislas Wawrinka defeating Marcos Baghdatis --with, no surprise, a cross-court backhand winner-- 7-6, 6-4, 5-7, 6-1. Wawrinka played the big points better than Baghdatis, hit too freely with no reply, and in the final three sets doubled his winners to Baghdatis'. The stats, Wawrinka to Baghdatis: 67 unforced errors to 59, 41 winners to 19, 5 to 8 double-faults. Baghdatis left looking like a man who wants to believe, but isn't quite there. So after 3 hours 10 minutes, Melbourne's favourite underachiever was dropped by a steadier counterpuncher. No stranger to losing his mind mid-match and giving away a long line of forehands himself, Wawrinka did no such thing tonight and walked away the victor. Next up: Spain's Nicolas Almagro. And so it goes for Baghdatis: the promise looks a lot better than the result. His rowdy Aussie fans will have to wait another year. Again.
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