Robredo next for Baghdatis in quarter-final as Russian is warned again for not trying
By Leo Leonidou
MARCOS Baghdatis yesterday knocked out defending champion Nikolay Davydenko with an impressive 6-2 6-2 win in the third round of the Paris Masters Series.
The Cypriot gave a near faultless display to set up a quarter-final against Spain’s Tommy Robredo and keep alive his slender hopes of making the season-ending Masters Cup featuring the world’s top eight.
Davydenko looked sluggish before bowing out with a backhand error at the end of a one-sided contest lasting just 73 minutes.
After the match, the Russian said he had feared receiving a warning.
The world number four, who was fined $2,000 for not trying hard enough during a shock defeat by Croatian qualifier Marin Cilic at the St Petersburg Open last week, was seen arguing with the umpire during yesterday’s match.
“I was thinking he might give me a warning,” Davydenko said. “He just asked me what was happening. I told him I couldn’t explain.”
Davydenko, who has already qualified for the Masters Cup in Shanghai, served weakly throughout, hitting ten double faults and a string of other unforced errors. He won only 13 per cent of points on his second serve.
In August, a match between Davydenko and lowly ranked Argentine Martin Vassallo Arguello in Poland was voided by British online betting exchange Betfair because of unusual betting patterns.
Davydenko has strenuously denied any wrongdoing.
“He didn’t serve well but he played well,” Baghdatis said of Davydenko’s performance yesterday.
“I was not thinking about the stories and rumours about him. I don’t know if they are true or not. I needed to be focused and play well.
That’s what I did.”
Baghdatis currently lies in 18th place in the ATP 2007 Race and will need to win the event to stand any chance of claiming one of the remaining two places up for grabs. Even that may not be enough if other results don’t go his way, with several other contenders still in the Paris draw.
If he manages to overcome Robredo, ranked nine, he faces the daunting prospect of squaring up to Rafael Nadal in the semis, who he has not beaten in their four previous meetings.
Meanwhile, British number one Andy Murray kept alive his hopes of a Masters Cup spot by crushing Frenchman Fabrice Santoro 6-4 6-2 to take his place in the quarter-finals.
The 20-year-old Murray needed just 69 minutes to brush aside the 34-year-old veteran.
