MARCOS Baghdatis yesterday survived a tough first round match at the Australian Open, edging past Slovenian qualifier Grega Zemlja in five sets in Melbourne.
The Cypriot came through 3-6, 7-5, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 on Show Court 3 after three hours and 23 minutes.
Crowd favourite Baghdatis dropped his first service game in the opener but quickly recovered to level the set at two apiece.
However, Zemlja wasn’t holding back and he won the following three games to take a 5-2 advantage before clinching the set with a forehand smash at the net.
After an intense ten service games in the second set, the players were tied at 5-5, but Baghdatis then sealed the eleventh game with an ace, pumping himself up with a loud: “Come on!”
He was gifted the set in the next game when the Slovenian fired a forehand wide.
The 21st-seeded Cypriot then built on his momentum to win five consecutive games in the third on his way to a two sets to one lead.
As in the second set, games went with serve in the third and Zemlja began to make Baghdatis work hard all around the court before forcing the match into a deciding fifth set.
Baghdatis quickly responded, securing a double break for a 3-0 lead and he never looked back, as he wrapped up the match
The Cypriot’s reward is a mouth-watering clash with former world No. 4 and 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina.
Del Potro, who has recently returned to the tour after a chronic wrist injury, overcame Israeli Dudi Sela in his first round encounter, fighting off five set points in a mammoth first set tie-break, before emerging with a 7-6(13), 6-4, 6-4 win.
“I feel good, it is nice for me be here with these players and of course playing a Grand Slam,” said del Potro.
“Today I played good tennis again. But I am really enjoying this week. I met with all the players, especially the Top 10 players. They supported me when I was very bad. So now I am face to face with them, I can say thank you,” he added.
The Argentine beat Baghdatis in their only previous meeting on tour, in the second round of the prestigious Sony Ericsson Open 2007 in Miami, 6-2, 5-7, 6-0.
