New Haven: Baghdatis Crashes Out
Top-seeded at the American tournament, Marcos Baghdatis failed in progressing into the semi finals, being defeated by Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky in three exhausting sets, 5-7, 6-1, 7-6. I would say we were both tired. It was really an exhausting match, not only physically. I would say that if I would be more fit today, I would more or less be more nervous because some of the shots that Marcos did today was out of another league,” the 24-year-old Ukrainian said, who is ninth seeded in New Haven. Both players started very well the first set, Baghdatis taking the lead not to announce the big surprise which was set to happen later in the match.
Thus, despite the first set score made the many think about a clear win for the Cypriot, it was Stakhovsky who took the second as if he would have entered on the court seconds before. The Ukrainian got the second set in a very easy manner, producing plenty of winners, aces and also breaks. Finally, the final set brought the two head to head until the tie break, probably the endurance being the decisive detail that provided the winner. Stakhovsky win the last set to 4 in tie break to reach the semis. “I think normally if I was a bit more fresh, a bit more quick, I would just go to the net, finish the point,” Baghdatis said right after the match, to continue and admit that he was too exhausted to go on at take the victory. “I wasn’t able to do that today because of a bit of tiredness. I played a long match yesterday, a three setter yesterday. It’s been a good three weeks in the States for me,” the Cypriot added.
The Ukrainian will face remarkable Thiemo de Bakker, the one who is expected to be part of the new generation leadership, according to the many. De Bakker passed Florian Mayer in the third round and Kazak Evgeny Korolev in the quarter final that ended 6-4, 6-3 for the Dutch youngster. On the other half are Serbian Viktor Troicki and Denis Istomin from Uzbekistan who will dispute their semi final on Friday.
