Marcos fought from a set down to reach the semi-finals of the PBZ Zagreb Indoors with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Mikhail Youzhny on Friday evening.
In a match between two former Zagreb champions, Marcos fired 14 aces and converted three of his eight break points to claim victory in one hour and 51 minutes.
“It was a tough match,” said Marcos, who recorded his third win in seven meetings with Youzhny. “I have a problem starting matches here. I am like a diesel. I think it is because I am a bit tired, but I am winning matches so I am really happy. I find ways to win so this is a very positive sign.
“Misha is a tough opponent. He can play unbelievable tennis. When he is in his zone, he can see the ball really big and he can play top tennis. He had some moments today when he was playing really well. But then he also had moments when he made many unforced errors so I tried to stay in the points, put as many balls back, and make him play. I was very fortunate to win today.”
In Saturday’s semi-finals, Marcos will face third seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who advanced in three tight sets against Viktor Troicki. Marcos is bidding to reach his first ATP World Tour final in more than three years, since finishing runner-up in Kuala Lumpur in October 2011.
The match is scheduled to start at 3:30pm CET on Saturday in Zagreb.
