Marcos was close to his best form on Thursday evening as he blasted aside top seed Juan Martin del Potro, 7-6(7), 6-4, to reach the semi-finals of the Apia International Sydney, where he won the title in 2010 with victory over Richard Gasquet.
Del Potro’s fearsome forehand caused Marcos trouble in the early stages of the first set and he broke through to lead 4-3. Marcos recouped the break when del Potro serve for the set in the 10th game, though, and rallied from a 2-5 deficit in the tie-break - saving two set points at 4-6 - before clinching the set on his second opportunity as del Potro fired a backhand wide.
A strong serving performance from Marcos in the second set meant he didn’t face a single break point. His aggressive style and fast play paid dividends in the seventh game as he broke del Potro to lead 4-3, and he was untroubled as he went on to serve out victory in one hour and 40 minutes to the delight of all the Cypriot support on Ken Rosewall Arena.
“I played some great tennis today,” said Marcos. “Happy the way I'm playing. It's a great victory for me. Towards the end of the first set I was feeling pretty confident. After I broke him, I started getting into the rhythm.
“I know I can beat anybody. I've beaten the best before. I think if I continue working on this aggressive play and the way I played today, I'm going to win more matches and bigger opponents.”
For a place in the final, Marcos will Frenchman Julien Benneteau, who overcame Alex Bogomolov Jr., in straight sets. The match is scheduled for not before 3:00pm local time (GMT +11hrs) on Friday in Sydney.
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