Former Zagreb Champions Baghdatis And Youzhny Face Off

Two former Zagreb Indoors champions will face off in the quarter-final of this year`s competition tomorrow (9:00). Two of only three non-Croatian tournament winners Marcos Baghdatis, the 2007 Cypriot success story, and 2012 Russian champion Mikhail Youzhny will do battle to make the final four and go one step nearer to becoming only the third multiple title holder in the tournament`s short history.

This will be the seventh time Baghdatis and Youzhny have met on court, their head-to-head reading 4-2 in favour of the Russian. In contrast, however, their record on hard is tied at 2-2.

The last time the two men met was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia back in 2010, Youzhny coming back from losing the first set to a tie-breaker to win the match 6-7, 7-5, 6-1. The 32-year-old Moscow-born competitor can be backed at 7/6 (888sport, unibet) to extend his overall record over his Cypriot opponent, whilst a similar win by coming back from losing the first set has been priced up at 6/1 by sportingbet.

Despite his overall record against Youzhny, Baghdatis is the 4/5 favourite with boylesports to progress through to the semi-final stage. This is a result of his victory over home hope and number one seed Ivo Karlovic yesterday. The five foot 10 Cypriot bounced back from losing the opener 6-3 to take the closely fought match 6-3,6-7, 6-7.

This was the second time in this tournament that the world number 67 has dropped the first set, making tough work for himself by losing the first 7-6 to Toni Androic in the first round. He sealed the match by condeding only five games picking up set two 6-2 and the third 6-3. He is 13/2 (sportingbet) to make it a hat-trick of wins after giving away the first set.

Note too that Baghdatis has also played three tie breaks from the six sets fought out in the tournament so far. Punters can pick up a price of 2/13 (betfair Exchange) on their being a tie-break in the match with Coral`s 5/2 saying that one will be played in the first set and the same price with the same bookmaker on a tie-break being contested in the second.

Youzhny has had a tie-break-free run of results and is yet to need seven games in any one set in the either round of the competition. Slovenia`s Blaz Kavcic was seen off in the opening round 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 before Youzhny beat the only other non-Croatian winner of Zagreb Indoors in Sergiy Stakhovsky. The Ukrainian was dispatched in straight sets 6-2, 6-1.

Betvictor have odds of 13/20 on the match being played out over two sets despite the 56 rank having recorded the only straight sets victory in the competition prior to this match-up. Of the men`s six encounters, half were finished in straight sets, and it`s 15/8 with ladbrokes and paddy Power on a Baghdatis 2-0 victory. Three-to-one with william hill says Youzhny will progress in straights sets for the second consecutive tie.

In terms of games, 13/8 with 888sport says the men will accumulate over 22.5 games whilst paddy Power`s evens suggests that the men will play less than 22.5.

Both players have entered the competition off the back of less than successful Australian Opens. Baghdatis, a former finalist in this Grand Slam, exited at the third round thanks to a 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 defeat at the hands of the seeded Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria.

Meanwhile, Youzhny was out in the first round after being drawn against world number three Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard ran out the straight sets winner recording a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 triumph in Melbourne.

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05/02/2015     © Frixo 2026