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Post by choupi on Jun 19, 2008 1:46:02 GMT -5
Serious things are on again for our fave Cypriot boy. Now he's back on the tour, he's to play in Wimbledon, seeded n°10. If no upset occurs in the 1st 2 rounds, Marcos might have a great time in Wimby. Official site available here: www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/index.htmlDraws will be out later.
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Post by choupi on Jun 20, 2008 8:47:32 GMT -5
The singles draw is out. Here's Marcos's part: Novak Djokovic SRB (3) v Michael Berrer GER Marat Safin RUS v Fabio Fognini ITA Florent Serra FRA v Yen-Hsun Lu TPE Tobias Kamke GER v Andreas Seppi ITA (29) Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (21) v Sam Querrey USA Alexander Peya AUT v Mischa Zverev GER Juan Martin Del Potro ARG v Pavel Snobel CZE Marcos Daniel BRA v Stanislas Wawrinka SUI (13) Marcos Baghdatis CYP (10) v Steve Darcis BEL Thomas Johansson SWE v Vincent Spadea USA Thomaz Bellucci BRA v Igor Kunitsyn RUS Simon Stadler GER v Ivo Karlovic CRO (18) Feliciano Lopez ESP (31) v Brian Dabul ARG Roko Karanusic CRO v Luis Horna PER Filippo Volandri ITA v Bobby Reynolds USA Frank Dancevic CAN v David Nalbandian ARG (7) www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/scores/draws/ms/r1s2.html
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Post by getta on Jun 21, 2008 17:34:14 GMT -5
Marcos has got an excellent draw. If he keeps his focus he has a good chance to reach the SFs.
And yesss!!! He's in Djokovic's quarter. Love that!!!
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Post by choupi on Jun 22, 2008 8:27:04 GMT -5
Marcos is 1st match on Court 2 on Monday, starting at 12PM.
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Post by getta on Jun 23, 2008 11:05:03 GMT -5
Marcos defeated Darcis 6-3 6-2 6-7(5) 6-3. He will face ToJo in the 2 nd round.
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Post by choupi on Jun 24, 2008 1:12:19 GMT -5
About the match: Marcos Baghdatis knew all about the reputation of Wimbledon's Court 2, the so-called graveyard of champions where so many top-ranking players have fallen over the years. But 10th seed did not let this fact bother him when he met newcomer Steve Darcis of Belgium on that court today. The Cypriot won through to the second round 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3 in two hours and 42 minutes.
The point about Baghdatis is that Wimbledon expects him to do well. That is why he is seeded here 15 places above his world ranking. He reached the semi-finals two years ago when he beat former champion Lleyton Hewitt and then lost to Rafael Nadal. Today he showed he intended to live up to that belief as he faced 24-year-old Darcis who was making his debut at Wimbledon and playing in only his fourth Grand Slam.
Darcis, a semi-finalist in the boys’ singles in 2002, made it clear from the outset that he intended to offer the Cypriot some proper competition and as early as the fifth game he had three break points on the Baghdatis serve. Baghdatis, a quarter-finalist last year, saved all three chances with winners.
At 4-3, Baghdatis captured Darcis's serve for the first time, went to set point with his second ace of the match, and followed up with a service winner to clinch the first set after 33 minutes.
Darcis now knew the pressure was on and Baghdatis gave him no relief by breaking serve in the third game of the second set, breaking him again in the seventh game, and serving out for a two-set lead with a flurry of winners.
In the third set, the Belgian, after struggling to hold serve in the third game and saving two break points, began to raise the tempo a fraction and was hitting cleanly. He missed a set point against serve at 6-5 but in the tiebreak built a 6-3 lead with a fine cross-court forehand and three points later had pulled one set back.
Baghdatis had had enough of this burst of pressure from Darcis and broke serve for 2-0 at the start of the fourth set. He extended that to 3-0 after saving two break points. In the next game, Darcis hit one of his best shots of the day, an inch-perfect forehand down the line. But his cause was fading, with the Cypriot settled in his rhythm and clearly believing he had victory in sight.
Baghdatis served his ninth ace to help take his lead to 5-2. Two games later, he served for the match. Although he was beaten by a backhand down the line on his first match point, he won through on the second with a service winner.www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/match_reports/2008-06-23/200806231214228749578.html
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Post by getta on Jun 24, 2008 13:04:50 GMT -5
Wednesday OoP
COURT 1
Matches start at 1:00 pm Anna Ivanovic (SRB) [1] vs. Nathalie Dechy (FRA)
followed by Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) [10] vs. Thomas Johansson (SWE)
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Post by getta on Jun 25, 2008 13:42:58 GMT -5
Marcos defeated ToJo 6-4 6-4 6-4. He will most probably play Simon Stadler in the 3 rd round. Djokovic has already gone and Marcos' quarter opened a lot. Strong favourite for making the SFs here. Anyway, I don't consider that a great success for Marcos. His stuff is for greater things. Also, a bit sad as I wanted him to play Djokovic in the QFs. Anyway, I'm sure they will meet elsewhere this year... ;D
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Post by choupi on Jun 25, 2008 14:01:43 GMT -5
Good result for Marcos. His way looks pretty direct now, but let's stay cautious. I take one match after the other.
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Post by choupi on Jun 26, 2008 1:37:40 GMT -5
From Wimbledon official site: Marcos Baghdatis loves Wimbledon and the spectators love him in return. Today's 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 second round victory over Thomas Johansson of Sweden, achieved in one hour 45 minutes, was another indication of the Cypriot's affection for grass and was warmly received by the No.1 Court crowd.
Baghdatis had won his two previous matches against the 33-year-old Swede, one of them at the Australian Open in January, and today was confirmation of his ongoing superiority over a man who is one of the game's One Slam Wonders, having won the Australian Open in 2002. A semi-final here three years ago was his next best effort.
Steadiness was what clinched it for Baghdatis, who is appearing this summer minus his beard. He struck nine aces, committed no double-faults, hammered 32 winners and was always in command, if narrowly, in this victory.
A big serve remains the chief weapon of Johansson (he hit seven in this match) but his average speed was marginally lower than that of Baghdatis (115mph against 119mph). It was his tendency towards wildness on the big points that cost him in a match where the first two sets were settled by a single break of serve.
The third set, like the first two, was decided on a sloppy Johansson shot, a forehand that flew wide, leaving Baghdatis the single match point he required. He achieved it with a confident backhand down the line.
This is his fourth Wimbledon. A semi-finalist in 2006, he reached the quarter-finals last year before falling to Novak Djokovic. Now wonder he says: “Grass is my favourite surface.”www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/match_reports/2008-06-25/200806251214393544656.html
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Post by choupi on Jun 26, 2008 1:47:08 GMT -5
From the ATP site: Elsewhere, 10th-seeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis improved to a 3-0 lifetime against 33-year-old Thomas Johansson of Sweden with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win in one hour and 45 minutes on Court One. Last year the World No. 25 lost in the quarterfinals to Serbian Novak Djokovic. Baghdatis improved to 13-8 on the season and 11-3 at Wimbledon.
"Tough conditions, but I'm happy I won, which is the most important thing, and I'm feeling great," said Baghdatis. "I'm enjoying it out there, so that's the most important thing."
Baghdatis will next face German qualifier Simon Stadler, who prevailed in a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-7(5), 8-6 battle against Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci in three hours and 42 minutes. Stadler, currently ranked No. 172 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, is making his first ATP-level main draw appearance of the season and surprised last week's Nottingham champion Ivo Karlovic in the first round. In his only previous Grand Slam appearance, two years ago at Wimbledon, the German lost in the first round (l. to Ferrer). www.atptennis.com/1/en/2008news/wimbledon_wednesday1.asp
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Post by getta on Jun 26, 2008 13:54:22 GMT -5
Friday OoP
COURT 2
Matches start at 12:00 noon Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) [4] vs. Barbara Zahlavova Strycova (CZE)
followed by Tomas Berdych (CZE) [11] vs. Fernando Verdasco (ESP) [22]
followed by Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) [10] vs. Simon Stadler (GER)
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Post by getta on Jun 27, 2008 14:45:58 GMT -5
Marcos defeated Stadler 7-6(2) 6-4 6-2. Feliciano Lopez' turn on Monday.
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Post by choupi on Jun 28, 2008 2:37:30 GMT -5
From Wimbledon site: Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus showed the difference between a top 10 seed and a qualifier with his 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 6-2 victory over Germany’s Simon Stadler.
Stadler started strongly but he was slowly suffocated of opportunities and eventually wilted at the hands of the 10th seed.
Had the German won the tie-break, the match would have had a different tone. But he didn’t and from that point on he was a spectator as Baghdatis swept to victory.
Baghdatis never gave his opponent another opportunity to break his serve, while the Cypriot took his only chance in the second set and two chances in the third.
Baghdatis, who was placed in the same quarter of the draw as Novak Djokovic, David Nalbandian and Ivo Karlovic, now finds himself with only 13th seed Stanislas Wawrinka standing between him and a semi-final.
After missing much of the season for personal reasons, Baghdatis appeared in good form on grass at Halle prior to Wimbledon until he lost to Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, but then again, doesn’t everybody.www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/articles/2008-06-27/200806271214597830781.html
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Post by choupi on Jun 28, 2008 2:49:02 GMT -5
Marcos's interview, after the match against Stadler: Q. When was the last time you faced Lopez?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Doha before Doha 2006.
Q. What do you remember about it?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Serving well. That's all I remember about him. He slides on the backhand a lot, comes in a lot to the net. That's all I remember.
Q. When you're playing singles tennis, what's the one aspect of the one on one part of the game that is the most compelling to you?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I didn't get that question.
Q. When you're playing singles tennis and it's just you against the other person, what is the most compelling part about that game that interests you?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: What is compelling part?
Q. The most significant, and the thing that gets you that you like the best.
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Finding the solution to win. I mean, that's the most that's the best feeling. That's the best thing that you can do is always every day is different, the conditions are different, every opponent is different, so just that's what I like about tennis is just finding a way every time, every different way to win a match.
Q. And different from team sports?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, much different, because you're alone on the court and coach cannot coach you. I mean, no coaching is allowed to you have to find the solution alone. I think that's the most motivating thing to this game.
Q. What aspect of Federer's run amazes you the most, especially here at Wimbledon?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Consistency.
Q. I was curious how you prepare, also, for your matches. Do you ever listen to music?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, I just stay in the locker, speak with the other players a bit, speak with my coach before the match, just have my own routines, that's all.
Q. Do you have any specific
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, not really.
Q. Do you analyze the games of the other players beforehand?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, not really, we just speak. My coach tells me a bit how the other guy is playing. We discuss a bit how to find a way to win against the guy, and that's all. We say different things, good things that the other guy does or bad things, and then it's up to me to find a solution on court.
Q. Is it difficult against a guy like Stadler because you don't know him maybe very well, so is it difficult to prepare?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, it's not easy, and that's why today it was a tough match, because you don't know the guy. The guy is not playing unbelievable, but he's solid, he's putting the ball I mean, on the serve he's serving pretty good percentage first serve, he's coming to the net, he's not, he's lefty, he has a weird game. And it's not easy with the conditions today, especially today was very windy, was dark, so it was very difficult to play good tennis. But I'm pretty happy I won. It's good to win ugly sometimes, you know?
Q. You seemed to be a little bit tensed in the beginning.
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, it was the feeling of waiting all day, and then it's cold and then it's windy. I played a player that I don't know, so I wasn't feeling so good in the beginning. Like I said, the most important thing was to win today, and I did my job, and I'm very, very happy I went through on this match.
Q. Do you have any specific goals for this year in terms of where you want to be?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It's to play better than last year, that's for sure, which was quarterfinals. That's my goal. But I know I can play big tennis; I'm feeling good, working good with Peter. I won't be surprised if I find myself in semis and maybe beat Roger.
Q. I noticed a few times it was Love 30. He was serving, you had Love 30 and you lost those opportunities but you stayed very calm always even at critical times and then you took advantage of them when you did. It seems like in the past when that's happened you sometimes got a little either upset about it or your concentration broke?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Not all the time. Maybe you saw some matches that I wasn't playing good or wasn't feeling good. Maybe that's the reason, but not all the times.
Q. But do you feel more focused now or not necessarily, just confident?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, when I feel good with my coach, with my team, then I feel I am all the time focused. It's just it's sometimes tough to stay focused, get tired a bit in the head, and now I have like three, four months off three months off with an injury, so it helps you come back stronger and better mentally.
Q. Which is your best Grand Slam? Is it Melbourne or here?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Melbourne because of the atmosphere, but I love grass, I love London, and that's my second. Yeah, because grass is just unbelievable. It's like playing soccer on it.
Q. But the atmosphere, the more energy you prefer?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, Australia.
Q. When was the first time you played on grass, do you remember?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Roehampton in 2001, I think. I never played good on grass actually. Since I came here in 2006 and won the first round against Mackin. It was five sets, Mackin, Scottish player, British player.
Q. Nothing between
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, I lost in Halle the first round.
Q. So it was a special feeling?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, yeah. That much made the difference, and I think I won that match, gained a bit of confidence and started playing good.
Q. You mentioned beating Roger. What would it take to beat him?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Everything. You have to just believe in it and stay focused. I played him in Halle, so I know a bit how he's playing on grass. I'll just try to find a way and a solution to win, but I'm pretty sure that I can do that. But I have to do it; that's another thing.www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/interviews/2008-06-27/200806271214598465706.html
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