Baghdatis awaits Nadal-Nieminen winner
Marcos Baghdatis is in his second Grand Slam semifinal of 2006. As Greg Garber writes, no one at Wimbledon has had a wilder time getting this far than the 18th-seeded Cypriot.
Federer Advances While Hewitt and Stepanek Upset
WIMBLEDON, England -- After reaching the Australian Open final in only his sixth Grand Slam, Marcos Baghdatis wondered, quite naturally, if it had been a fluke.
Back in January, he beat three top-10 players -- Andy Roddick, Ivan Ljubicic and David Nalbandian all in a row -- but he was stalked by self-doubt:
"Was I there because I deserved it," he wondered, "or because it was just one time?"
The early returns at the All England Club suggest the former.
Baghdatis comes from the small Cyprus village of Paramytha, which means fairy tale in the local lexicon. On Wednesday, he continued to live this life that reads stranger than fiction. He hammered Lleyton Hewitt 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-2 to advance to the Wimbledon semifinals.
With his mother Andry watching on Centre Court -- she covered her eyes on match point -- the 21-year-old served 19 aces, hit 53 winners and fairly blew the former champion off the court.
"It's amazing for me and my parents," Baghdatis said after the match. "Everything came so fast. It's a fairy tale, a small story. There are so many emotions for me."
Baghdatis, the No. 18 seed here, will watch Thursday's quarterfinal match between Rafael Nadal and Jarkko Nieminen with keen attention for it will determine his next opponent. The match was postponed after rain delays and a five-set match from Jonas Bjorkman and Radek Stepanek.
"It just didn't sort of happen for me out there," Hewitt said. "I was finding a way to hang in there. Missed opportunities out there when I needed to step it up."
No one battles like Hewitt and, until the end, there was never a sense that the streaky Baghdatis had the match fully under control.
Baghdatis had Hewitt down one set and two service breaks in the second, but the scrappy Australian dug himself out. Baghdatis won the third set in a thrilling tiebreaker, and Hewitt kept on charging. Punch, counter-punch. Punch, counter-punch. In the fourth set, Baghdatis broke in the fourth game of the fourth set and, finally, in the last game.
The raucous crowd was delighted with his joyful, swashbuckling performance. And vice versa. "That's the way I am, and who I am," he explained. "I love playing this game. I love playing in front of so many people. Grass fits to my game, which is aggressive."
Baghdatis had never won a match on grass until just more than two weeks ago. But now, in a span of 17 days, he has won eight matches on the natural stuff. He lost in the first round at Halle in mid-June, then rolled through victories over minor players like Ivo Minar, Vince Spadea and Philipp Kohlschreiber.
At Wimbledon, where he lost last year in his debut, it looked like the Cypriot would go 0-for-2 when he fell behind wild card Alan Mackin two sets to one. And then, in the fifth set, medical chaos ensued. He called for a trainer after he was visited with back spasms and, later, for a strained groin. Ultimately, he vomited on his way to victory.
It's been all downhill from there. Andrei Pavel (back) retired after three games, No. 15 seed Sebastien Grosjean was dispatched in four sets and he positively flogged young Scottish hope Andy Murray (who had beaten Roddick) in straight sets in the fourth round.
Hewitt, meanwhile, was the world's No. 1-ranked player in 2001 and 2002 and he won two Grand Slams during that time, including Wimbledon in 2002. A loss, oddly enough, seems to have rejuvenated Hewitt. He scared Nadal, briefly, in the fourth round at Roland Garros and went on to win the Queen's tournament -- his first victory in 17 months.
The last time he won Queen's, Hewitt won Wimbledon.
Hewitt was barely standing after the horror of the first 10 games Wednesday. He lost nine of them and found himself looking at a 10th when Baghdatis was serving at deuce for 4-0 in the second set. Hewitt, however, won the game and put together his own streak, winning seven of nine games to level the match at one set apiece.
The third-set tiebreaker was a thing of jagged beauty. Hewitt retrieved like a champion, winning the best point of the match making a final, running forehand stab, to close it to 3-4. Serving to level the frame at 5-6, Hewitt hit a pretty decent first serve that Baghdatis met with a short backhand swing that resulted in a screaming service winner.
The return -- and the fist pump -- were more than a little reminiscent of vintage Hewitt.
Baghdatis broke Hewitt in the fourth game of the fourth set and, finally, backed it up with a final break at the end.
"I just got confident again, feeling the ball good, and here I am in [the] semifinals at Wimbledon," the 18th seed said. "Nobody realizes it yet, especially my parents. They don't know what's happening. It needs time to cool down."
Can Baghdatis win the tournament?
"I don't think win it, no," Hewitt said, emphatically. "I think Roger Federer's going to win it. Make the final, yeah. If he plays the way he started off today.
"If he plays Nadal, he has a chance."
Baghdatis is probably the best example of tennis' global reach today. He was born on the island of Cyprus, where no man or woman before him was ever ranked inside the top 100 or played in a Grand Slam. His potential got him a ticket to Paris -- he didn't speak the language and he lived with a French family -- where he trained at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy.
In 2003, he was the No. 1-ranked junior in the world. He stands only 6 feet tall, but he generates surprising power in his serve and groundstrokes. More important, though, he is an intuitive player with a marvelous feel for the court. He takes the ball extremely early, hits swinging volleys, and busts out the drop shots with no qualms.
Baghdatis entered Wimbledon with a career high No. 16 world ranking. On Monday, when the new ATP rankings come out, he will roar into the ATP's top 10.
He has already proven he is no one-hit wonder. Now, can he go one step further?
"Why not?" Baghdatis said. "I'm in the semifinal of a Grand Slam. Everybody can beat everybody.
"Why not?"
Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
Wimbledon
Dates: June 26-July 9
Defending champions: Venus Williams, Roger Federer
Coverage: ESPN2
Time difference: Great Britain is 5 hours ahead of ET
Week 2
• Day 13: Federer wins men's title
• Garber: Federer maintains supremecy
• Sheppard: Nadal No. 2, and closing, on grass
• Notebook: Gilbert deal to coach Murray not official ... yet
• Jensen: Federer learned from French Open
• Day 12: Mauresmo wins women's title
• Garber:Mauresmo keeps nerves in check
• Sheppard: Bryans complete career Grand Slam
• Shriver, Fernandez: Mauresmo held up when it mattered
• Men's final preview: Nadal won't be an easy out
• Day 11: Men's semis
• Garber: Flawless Federer
• Sheppard: Don't write off Nadal on grass
• Notebook: Henin-Hardenne doesn't watch women's tennis
• Day 10: Women's semis | Nadal reaches semifinals
• Garber: Mauresmo breaks through
• Garber: Nadal's transition to grass
• Shriver: Two Grand Slam finals in one
• Navratilova loses final Wimbledon match
• Paul Goldstein blog
• Day 9: Men's quarterfinals
• Garber: Baghdatis awaits Nadal-Nieminen winner
• Garber: Navratilova wants one more title
• Sheppard: Bjorkman wins five-set marathon
• Notebook: Women's semifinal previews
• Nestor-Knowles win longest Grand Slam doubles match in history
• Day 8: Women's quarterfinals
• Garber: Belgians meet for third time in '06
• Garber: Mauresmo at home in Wimbledon
• Hawkins: Sharapova not fazed by streaker, Dementieva
• Notebook: Quarterfinal previews
• Day 7: Men | Women
• Garber: Ancic hopes to end Federer's streak
• Sheppard: State of American tennis
• Notebook: Na Li makes history for Chinese
• Week 1 photo gallery
Week 1
