Photo: Ron C. Angle
Marcos waited out the lengthy rain delays on Thursday to secure his place in the third round at Roland Garros with a 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-2. Play had been suspended overnight with Marcos leading by two-sets-to-one and he made good use of a rare dry spell late afternoon on Thursday to complete his second-round victory.
After several lengthy rain delays, Marcos’ match got underway at around 6:15pm local time and he quickly earned the advantage, breaking serve to lead 2-1 by slicing a return low and forcing Granollers to net the subsequent volley.
Eager to finish as quickly as possible with more rain clouds gathering, Marcos broke serve again with a great exhibition of his defensive skills to again force a volley error from Granollers and lead 4-1. He then served out victory at 6-2, rallying from 0/30 to win four straight points to seal victory after a 32-minute fourth set.
"I'm feeling pretty good. I'm playing solid. I could say I'm playing very smart on court and just finding solutions to win," said Marcos. "I guess that's the most important thing. I'm perfect physically. I have no injuries. I feel fit. I feel that I can last, so that makes things a bit easier."
Read Marcos' full post-match interview here.
For a place in the fourth round, Marcos will face World No. 4 Andy Murray, who battled past Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in a match that also concluded on Thursday evening.
Marcos has a perfect 2-0 record against Murray, most recently defeating the Scot for the loss of just three games in the 2007 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati tournament. This will be their first meeting on clay.
"It's nice to play against opponents that it will be a great fight," said Marcos. "Andy is a great player. Not only a great player, but a great fighter on court. He can last, so I'm looking forward to playing a great match with him. I'll relax for tonight and see how things go tomorrow."
The match will be played fourth on Court Suzanne Lenglen, with play beginning for the day at 11am. Check out the full order of play here.
Stay tuned to www.baghdatis.com for the latest updates from Paris.
Go, Marcos!
