PBZ Zagreb Indoors, Croatia

[CR67] Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) vs. [CR294] Toni Androic (CRO)

Baghdatis’ ranking fell drastically due to unmotivated play and injuries.  Now he has to answer the question honestly, does he want to play tennis and be a contender for titles?  There is no shortage of talent, but his questionable decision-making and laxity in shot execution leaves his fans wondering.  It’s nice to see him making the effort. When he is committed, his passion for the game and his brilliant play leaves fans enthralled.

His performance today was a bit disappointing at the beginning; however, he cleaned up his game after losing the first set, realizing that he would be out of the tournament if he did not.  The reality of what Androic had accomplished registered and the young Croat lost his focus and was broken early in the second set. He never recovered, his game became sloppy and the errors started accumulating. How far Baghdatis goes in this tournament depends on his physical fitness and level of motivation. For now, he moves on to the next round with a 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-3 victory over Androic.