Cincinnati Masters: Roger Federer vs. Marcos Baghdatis
The ATP Cincinnati Masters 2010 is about almost at its climax as the semi-finals are all set to take off on Centre Court on Saturday. The all-American duel between Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish will form the first semi-final in Cincinnati. Meanwhile, the second semi-final will see Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer going against Marcos Baghdatis today.
Which is one of the oldest tennis championships of the United States of America; the Cincinnati Masters is part of the summer hard court season that is held annually in the month of August. This year, the tournament began on the 7th of August at Cincinnati and the event is being sponsored by the Western and Southern Financial Group.
Federer leads the competition against Baghdadis with a lead of 6 games to 1. Roger Federer has made his way into the semi-final round of the competition after defeating Nikolay Davydenko in his first complete match of the competition at Cincinnati. The 29-year-old Fed Express has a wonderful chance to avenge his loss at the hands of Marcos Baghdatis at Indian Wells earlier this year in March. Moreover, the big man is the only player amongst the top four seeds in the Cincinnati Masters 2010 who has made it to the semi-finals of the competition.
Federer will definitely be hoping to knock down the Cypriot to confirm his final spot on Saturday.
Baghdatis, who got the better of Rafael Nadal in the quarter-final match by winning 87 % of his opening serve points, will have to replicate his percentage against the Swiss in today’s match as well. Baghdatis is famously known as one of the finest shot makers in the game of tennis and his ability to dictate backcourt play on a hard surface is what makes the Cypriot player a real threat.
However, what Roger showed in Toronto a few days ago was his class and aptitude to utilize his experience along with his calm court appearance to defeat the player who had kicked him out of Wimbledon and Miami earlier this year.
Marcos won’t have the same advantage against his Swiss opponent that he earlier enjoyed against Rafael Nadal. The difference will be Roger's high quality serving.
Roger’s serves suit quicker court play and his forehand grip on the other hand can also lower shots in a better manner if compared to the Spaniard.
Moreover, Marcos will be facing an opponent who does not find any difficulty on the asphalt but has reached the semi-final with just one completed match in the week.
Federer definitely stands high as the hot favourite to reach the final of the ATP Cincinnati Masters Men’s after dismissing Marcos Baghdatis in today’s semi-final round.
As far as Baghdatis is concerned, he will definitely have to play the match of his life in order to defeat his Swiss opponent on the court. In this regard, the opening set of the match is going to be crucial in Cincinnati today.
Tags: