TENNIS / Australian Open: Marcos Baghdatis thought that Cyprus would "be going crazy" and he was probably right. Certainly that small area of the Rod Laver Arena to which his Australian fan club has acquired the rights this week went potty.
They may not understand a huge amount about topspin forehands and sliced backhands but they know what they like: their beloved Marcos.
It has been an extraordinary tale as the ebullient 20-year-old, a former world junior number one, catapulted himself to the forefront of the world stage with a series of performances to gladden the hearts of those who love their tennis players to be entertainers. Baghdatis is a crowd-pleaser, drawing them into his matches and rewarding them with unstinting effort, often brilliant tennis, and a lovely line in post-match charm.
His smile and enjoyment are infectious and although, not surprisingly, elements of tiredness crept into his game last night he held his nerve at the finish to reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open with a 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic, the world number eight.
Baghdatis had previously knocked out Andy Roddick, the number two seed, but in many ways this victory was even more impressive. Ljubicic was also playing in his first slam quarter-final but last year he had led Croatia to victory in the Davis Cup final.
When Ljubicic won the third and fourth sets it appeared Baghdatis might be a spent force but he found fresh reserves of energy and produced fabulously struck winners under severe pressure.
There is a considerable Croatian and Greek population in this city so both players were loudly supported, something Baghdatis enjoyed rather more than Ljubicic: "I don't really like this wild crowd, even if it's for me. Sometimes it's not good for me, and it's not good for him if the people shout in the middle of the point or between first and second serves."
Like it or not, the noise made for a vibrant evening under the floodlights. Baghdatis found doubts creeping into his mind in the third set but he cleared them as the denouement approached, thrillingly fending off break points. "I said to myself, 'Don't miss a shot', and tried not to give him any easy chances."
The youngster, who began the tournament ranked outside the top 50, only eight places above Britain's Andy Murray, has only one day to prepare for a semi-final against the world number four David Nalbandian, who defeated Fabrice Santoro with chilling ease 7-6, 6-0, 6-0.
Nalbandian beat Roger Federer in last year's end-of-season Tennis Masters Cup final in Shanghai. Baghdatis beat the Argentinian on the indoor courts in Basle last year but it will be a huge task to raise his game again, although whatever the result he is surely destined for the top 10.
His performances in Melbourne have shown no signs of the pressure his family say he is under because of the threat of being called up by the army in Cyprus, where it is virtually impossible to dodge the draft. "We are pleading with the military to give him exemption from the army," said his father Christos. "He is constantly given postponements from the ministry of defence regarding his draft. It is in itself a worry for our son." (Guardian Service)
MEN'S SINGLES
Quarter-finals: (4) David Nalbandian (Arg) bt Fabrice Santoro (Fra) 7-5 6-0 6-0, Marcos Baghdatis (Cyp) bt (7) Ivan Ljubicic (Cro) 6-4 6-2 4-6 3-6 6-3
WOMEN'S SINGLES
Quarter-finals: (8) Justine Henin-Hardenne (Bel) bt (1) Lindsay Davenport (US) 2-6 6-2 6-3, (4) Maria Sharapova (Rus) bt (6) Nadia Petrova (Rus) 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.
