Lukas Lacko registers upset victory over Marcos Baghdatis in the semis – PBZ Zagreb Indoors 2012
A striking outcome was witnessed in the semi-finals of the PBZ Zagreb Indoors, with the sixth seed Cypriot, Marcos Baghdatis, crashing out of the contest against the 97th ranked Slovakian underdog, Lukas Lacko, on Saturday. The world number 45, Baghdatis, hung in the matchup for just one hour and 47 minutes before submitting at 5-7, 6-7(3), letting the unseeded opponent into the final of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 event.
It was one of the most enthralling contests of the tournament, with the most stunning results. 24-year-old Lacko exhibited amazing display of pin-point hitting far better than his rankings suggest. He went through some real tough times in the contest but remained focused all the way and kept winning crucial points to surprise his superior-ranked opponent in the end.
The Slovak came under the lime light when he surprised the second seeded hot favourite, Alex Bogomolov, in the second round of the tournament. He further went on to take down the seventh seed Dutch opponent, Robin Haase, in the quarter-finals before dumping Baghdatis in the semis. Lacko eliminated three of the seeded competitors in the tournament to earn his first championship title shot in the final of PBZ Zagreb Indoors.
"It was my first season on the ATP World Tour, so I wasn't as experienced. But every time I played a good, close match," assessed Lacko. "He's a smart player but it's good that I've played against him as I know what to expect. I need to try and change what happened in those three matches and play the match my way."
Baghdatis belted 10 cracking aces and secured 40 out of 51 first serve points in the match, yet finishing on the losing side in the end. Lacko’s three out of seven break point conversions proved to be the deciding factor in the match.
Lacko will have to go through the third seed Russian, Mikhail Youzhny, in the final of the tournament before he can get his hands on his maiden championship trophy. The belligerent Russian penned down a straight sets victory, 6-3, 6-4, against the unseeded German opponent, Michael Berrer, in the semi-final round of the tournament on Saturday. The third seed Russian will be going all guns blazing at the unseeded Slovak in Sunday’s final to claim his eighth championship title, while Lacko will eye upon climbing the ATP World Rankings with a title under his belt.
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