News & Photos
Day 5 - (4) David Ferrer v (28) Marcos Baghdatis
Head-to-head
| Of the pair’s four meetings in seven years, it’s Ferrer who holds a 3-1 advantage. | The Smiling Cypriot may be behind in the head-to-head, but his one win came here in 2010 when he fought back from two sets to one down to win in five. |
Will win if...
| He makes Baghdatis play the extra ball. Ferrer is in good touch and should win this match simply by playing his game. He is, after all, the fourth seed. | He has his laser beams on target. Baggy will need to paint the lines if he’s to find a way through Ferrer’s renowned defenses. |
Heading in...
| Ferrer has already had a busy schedule in 2013. He was a semifinalist in Qatar and a winner in Auckland, followed by wins over Olivier Rochus and lucky loser Tim Smyczek in the first two rounds. | A semifinal finish in Brisbane that included wins over two players ranked higher than him was a good start to 2013 for Baghdatis. Five- and four-set wins over Albert Ramos and Tatsuma Ito respectively have given Baghdatis plenty of time on court. |
Look out for...
| The impenetrable wall. Ferrer is one of the best retrievers in the men’s game and is super fit. | Racquet destruction. Baggy’s blow up that saw him destroy four racquets during a four-set loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in Melbourne last year has been viewed more than 1.4 million times on YouTube. If things aren’t going his way, watch out racquets. |
Know this stat
| Ferrer’s best result in Melbourne came in 2011 when he made it to the final four. It was his ninth time playing the Australian Open. | Baghdatis made it all the way to the final here in 2006 on his second trip to Melbourne. |
X-factor
| Consistency isn’t much of an X-factor, but it is the ace up this Spaniard’s sleeve. | Crowd support. Baggy enjoys a level of adoration not just from Melbourne’s Cypriot community but from everyone. Should the match be tight and the crowd gets behind him, the momentum may just shift his way. |