MELBOURNE – Cypriot tennis star Marcos Baghdatis bounced back from a set down to claim a 3-1 (3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2) victory over Japan’s Tatsuma Ito and move into the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday where he will face Spaniard David Ferrer.
Baghdatis needed five sets to break the resistance of Albert Ramos in the first round and the Cypriot looked like he was heading for another tough evening when the Japanese world number 82 player broke 31st ranked Baghdatis in the opening set.
Cheered on by noisy fans, Baghdatis hit back in the remaining sets to overwhelm Ito - serving up three aces in the second set - to tie up the match.
Baghdatis was well in his stride from there on going on to take the next two sets with ease, 6-2, 6-2.
He will now take on fourth seed Ferrer who previously dispatched the American Tim Smyczek 6-0, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
The two met before in the 2010 Australian Open in what was a thrilling encounter. Ferrer had taken the first two sets 6-4, 6-3 before a resurgent Baghdatis stormed back to the victory winning the next three sets 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-1.
The other three encounters between Ferrer and Baghdatis in the 2010 Madrid Open, 2009 Johannesburg Open and 2006 Cincinnati Open all ended in defeats for the Cypriot.