CYPRUS star Marcos Baghdatis fought back from a set and a break down to force a decider, but was eventually narrowly beaten by Bulgarian rising star Grigor Dimitrov 3-6 7-5 6-7 in the semi-finals of the Brisbane International on Saturday.
Dimitrov will now take on Britain’s Andy Murray after the US Open and Olympic champion eased into Sunday’s final when his opponent Kei Nishikori retired.
Dimitrov will now attempt to usurp the defending champion after his match against Baghdatis, which was notable for the Cypriot being penalised for a time violation in the deciding tiebreaker.
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is trying to speed up matches and an automatic fault was called against Baghdatis when he exceeded the permitted 25-second time limit at 2-2 in the tiebreaker.
Baghdatis was clearly agitated by the call at such a crucial juncture and Dimitrov won the breaker 7-5 to reach the final after almost two and a half hours of playing time.
Dimitrov took only eight minutes to cruise to a 3-0 lead on his way to winning the first set and Baghdatis looked to be in big trouble when a double fault gifted his 21-year-old opponent a break in the third game of the second set.
However, he immediately broke back and wore down Dimitrov, using his third set point to level the score. Baghdatis then saved a break point in the ninth game of the decider to force a tiebreak before Dimitrov finally prevailed.
“I think it is good,” said Dimitrov who had no issue with the rule and believed Baghdatis lost rhythm after the umpire’s intervention.
“Let’s not forget that the players voted for that, so I guess it’s if they want it to be there, it’s there. It’s kind of their call,” he added.
Dimitrov is contesting his first ATP final at the beginning of what he hopes will be a breakthrough year.
Nicknamed ‘Baby Federer’ because of the similarity in style and natural ability to 17-time major winner Roger Federer, the Bulgarian denied the comparison had become a burden.
“Weighing me down?” Dimitrov replied.
“What for? No, not at all. Total opposite. People can judge anyway, right? Again, Roger is Roger. I am me.
“I haven’t won a title yet – even though I’m in the final. I’m on a roll and that’s fun.”
Baghdatis is currently ranked 36 in the world, but his ranking could improve slightly after he earned 45 points for reaching the last four.
He was due to have a Skype media call with Cypriot journalists after the match, but his PR representative told the Cyprus Mail the call had to be postponed as Baghdatis was immediately leaving for Melbourne where he will take part in the AAMI Kooyong Classic which starts on Wednesday.
