The ever-charismatic Marcos Baghdatis marked his return to Nottingham at the Aegon Open with a straight sets win over Evgeny Donskoy 7-5, 6-2, winning 81 percent of points behind his second serve as he booked his place in the third round.

Post-match thoughts

Reflecting on a terrific win, which featured a “superman” like shot as he called it after making a diving volley winner, Baghdatis was pleased with the way he played. “I’m happy to be back and happy that I won today”, he said.

“This year I came here a bit later than last year, so I didn’t have too much time to practice and hit on the grass, but like I said I’m happy with the win today and it’s important for me to go out there and find a way to win. Today I played a guy (Donskoy) who doesn’t particularly love the grass, the match depended a lot on me and I think I played pretty well.”

Baghdatis reached the semifinals here last year before he was forced to withdraw through injury. Photo: Getty
Baghdatis reached the semifinals here last year before he was forced to withdraw through injury. Photo: Getty

“I feel undefeated here in Nottingham”

The 31-year-old Cypriot is enjoying being back at the Aegon Open, he said, “I feel undefeated here in Nottingham. It’s true! I played the Challenger event here two times, retired in the first one and then won the second and retired last year in the semifinals of the ATP event.

"So I feel happy here and every time I come I play good tennis. This tournament is preparation for Wimbledon for me, London is a big stage, but I’m happy to be here and I find more of myself here every time I come back.”

Looking ahead to his next match against Sam Querrey

The former Australian Open runner-up was not happy with the outside courts and felt that they were playing terribly, but he will get the chance to test out the grass on Centre Court when he faces Sam Querrey in the third round. Baghdatis is ready for the challenge, “I’m just going to focus on the things that I need to do, I’m looking to make small improvements each match so that I feel good about my game ahead of Wimbledon.”

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About the author
Joshua Coase
2nd Year Multimedia Journalism Bournemouth University, UK - Accredited Journalist for VAVEL USA Tennis and writer for VAVEL UK AFC Bournemouth section.