Baghdatis back in the spotlight in Australia

MELBOURNE - Marcos Baghdatis is back on his magic carpet and taking everyone along for the ride.

By (Reuters)

Published: Thu 21 Jan 2010, 12:05 PM

Last updated: Mon 6 Apr 2015, 8:58 AM

He stole the show at the Australian Open four years ago with his giant-slaying run into the final, thrusting his island homeland of Cyprus into the world’s sporting spotlight.

Injuries have stalled his progress since then but he is back and starting to build momentum at the first grand slam of 2010.

The odds were stacked against him on Thursday when he lined up against Spain’s David Ferrer, the tournament’s 17^th seed, and he seemed doomed after he lost the first two sets.

But with the vocal backing of Melbourne’s large Greek community, the flamboyent showman rolled up his shirt sleeves and got to work, turning the match around to win 4-6 3-6 7-6 6-3 6-1 despite cramping up.

Few foreign players generate the same excitement and support at the Australian Open than Baghdatis and his remarkable fightback breathed new life into a day where almost all of the results went according to script.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, the 2008 champion, survived a shaky start to win his second round match with Switzerland’s Marco Chiudinelli 3-6 6-1 6-1 6-3 while in-form Russian Nikolay Davydenko brushed aside Illya Marchenko of Ukraine 6-3 6-3 6-0.

Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki, the women’s fourth seed, crushed Germany’s Julia Goerges 6-3 6-1, but former world number one Ana Ivanovic bowed out after a 6-7 7-5 6-4 loss to unseeded Argentinian Gisela Dulko.

Ivanovic made the final in Australia in 2008 and won the French Open that same year but her career has been in freefall ever since then and she has slipped to 21^st in the rankings despite trying desperately to get back on track.

“It’s a process. I think I just have to be patient,” she said.

“Some matches it’s there, some not. I just have to sort of keep my head up and try to improve.”

Djokovic was unusually tentative at the start of his match but was too streetwise for Chiudinelli once he got his game back in order.

“I was frustrated, especially at start of the match, because he was really giving it to me. He was very aggressive and stepping in and using ever opportunity that has been given to him,” Djokovic said.

“So automatically I just became too defensive and didn’t really make too much. Just waiting for his mistakes.

“That was a little issue there but I managed to make that transition from being defensive to being offensive and changing pace and holding the game in control in the second and third set.”