Photo: Thomas Guenther
The rain could not delay Marcos Baghdatis for long yesterday afternoon as he beat Igor Andreev without having to hit top gear, winning in straight sets 6-2, 6-4. Marcos is riding on a wave of confidence after his recent outstanding form and this was exhibited in a game that could have been potentially dangerous. Marcos now goes on the face Juan Ignacio Chela, the No. 14 seed this week, keen to take revenge for a straight sets defeat he suffered in this very tournament five years ago at the hands of the Argentinian.
If Marcos’ service figures were a little worse than they have been recently- his first serve percentage was only 41% and he hit five double-faults- it certainly did not cost him. Despite losing his serve once, Marcos was irresistible when returning serve, breaking the powerful Andreev four times. Marcos was courageous in attacking the Andreev second serve, and this was an extremely worthwhile tactic, as he won over half the points played on Andreev’s second serve.
With the exception of a first-round defeat at the Rogers Cup in Canada, Marcos has reached the quarter-finals or even better at his other US Open Series tour stops. This has given Marcos a chance to win the entire US Open Series, particularly with current leader Andy Murray not playing this week. Marcos needs to win the Pilot Pen Tennis at New Haven this week to do so. If Marcos does win the series, any prize money he wins at Flushing Meadows will be doubled. All of Marcos’ brilliant form has amounted to a seeding of 16 at the US Open, which can only help Marcos in his quest for success.
However, Marcos now plays Chela, another tough opponent, who beat former teenage prodigy Donald Young in a long, rain-delayed match, 5-7, 6-4, 6-0. Aside from the first-round match in New Haven five years ago, Marcos has met Chela three other times, winning twice and losing once. Chela may be past his best years as a pro, but has five ATP World Tour titles to his name and a career-high ranking of 15, so this will be by no means an easy victory for Marcos.
The game is fourth on Stadium Court today, where play begins at 10am. If Marcos overcomes Chela, he will be unsure of who he faces in the quarter-finals, with a possibility of any one of three players. The winner of the second-round match between Stakhovsky and Luczak will play again on the same day against Tommy Robredo, the number 6 seed, for the opportunity to come up against Marcos, or Chela, in the quarter-finals.
For Marcos to go deep into this tournament and boost his ranking points even more before the US Open, it is imperative he has the support of his fans all the way.
Go Marcos!
