New Haven: Baghdatis Reaches Third Round
Former world junior champion Marcos Baghdatis continues to look good on the US courts as the Cypriot progressed easily into the third round in New Haven. This passed Russian Igor Andreev in two straight sets 6-2, 6-4 and the top seeded will Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Chela who also defeated American Donald Young in the second round. Baghdatis started this summer to look better, the Cypriot beating three Top 10 ATP, including tenth-seeded Fernando Verdasco at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, also seventh ATP Tomas Berdych in Cincainnati, and finally world champion Rafa Nadal in the same place, just before reaching the semi final.
Thus, Baghdatis has plenty of chances repeat all the good figures he had performance the last months at Flushing Meadows as the US Open is scheduled to start in August 30. Chela is an older ‘friend’ for the Cypriot the two having already played four times before, including in the same time a first round meeting here in New Haven few years ago when the Argentinean beat Bagdhatis. However, the first quarter finalists in New Haven include Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili and Uzbeki Denis Istomin who will meet in the best eight round tomorrow. The Russian passed one of the main favorites here in Haven, Belgian Xavier Malisse in the second round when the Belgian abandoned when led by 4-2. Also Istonim defeated German Benjamin Becker in the second round as the Uzbeki easily ousted him in two straight sets 6-3, 6-1 to progress further after beating Slovakian Luka Lacko too in three sets. Among the main favorites remained on course for the last trophy before the American grand slam include Spaniard Tommy Robredo, who defeated host Taylor Dent in three uneasy sets in the second round as the American got defeated after winning the first set. It was 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 final score as Robredo will meet Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky in the third round.
Another main contender for the New Haven title is Czech Radek Stepanek, the one who passed Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez in the second round with 6-2, 6-4 to meet Romania’s Victor Hanescu who also beat German Daniel Brands in the second round with 6-3, 6-4. The other three quarter finals include Okraine Illya Marchenko vs. Evgeny Korolev, Dutch Thiemo de Bakker vs. Florian Mayer from Germany and Serbian Viktor Troicki vs. Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov.
