WOW ,havd eny one see the semifinal ,wat a game WOW

anyway he play the final ..

baghdatis cypriot tennis player :headbang:

australianopen.com

Well done Marco! :applause: I am no tennis fan,but its always nice to see a greek or cypriot athlete to do well! :D

I've read that greek and cypriot fans have made a great supporter crowd! ;)

Actualy they make it PORTUGALIA there :yeehaw:


Baghdatis 20 years old

:bow:

yeah comon Gents give some....Links or images...hainte ;)

Unseeded Baghdatis Makes Australian Open Tennis Final (Update3)
Jan. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Marcos Baghdatis rallied from two sets down to beat fourth-seeded David Nalbandian and advance to the Australian Open tennis final. Amelie Mauresmo will play former champion Justine Henin-Hardenne for the women's title.

The 54th-ranked Baghdatis, a 250-1 long shot at the start of the tournament, won 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 today to set up a Jan. 29 championship match against top-ranked Roger Federer of Switzerland or German No. 21 Nicolas Kiefer.

``I'm playing amazing tennis,'' Baghdatis, the first man or woman from Cyprus to be ranked in the top 100, told Australia's Channel Seven television in a courtside interview. ``Everything was going in. I'm just in my own world.''

The 20-year-old Baghdatis, in his sixth Grand Slam event, is trying to become the first unseeded player to win at Melbourne Park since Mark Edmondson in 1976. He upset No. 2 seed Andy Roddick and No. 7 Ivan Ljubicic to reach the semifinals.

Baghdatis twice recovered after losing his serve in the final set before breaking Argentina's Nalbandian for a third time to lead 5-4. Play was suspended with the score tied at 15- 15 in the next game as rain poured down on Rod Laver Arena.

Following a 26-minute delay to close the roof and mop the court, Baghdatis was initially denied victory when the chair umpire overruled a line call. Television replays showed the original call was good. Baghdatis sealed the win later in the game with an ace.

50 Courts

Skai Radio in Athens reported from Cyprus that Baghadatis, who won the Australian Open boys' title in 2003, was excused military service until whenever he wanted. Cyprus, a Mediterranean island with a population of 770,000, is home to just 12 tennis clubs and about 50 courts.

``It's rare for a small country to produce world-class athletes,'' Christos Solomonides, a 51-year-old electronics engineer, said in a phone interview from the capital Nicosia. ``The whole Hellenic world is happy today.''

Nalbandian, a 24-year-old Argentine who defeated Federer to win last year's season-ending Masters Cup, was seeking a second Grand Slam final appearance after losing to Australian Lleyton Hewitt at Wimbledon in 2002.

``I had a lot of chances to win the match,'' Nalbandian, who said he was struggling with an abdominal injury, told reporters. ``I can't understand why I missed these chances. It's tough.''

Clijsters Injury

Third-seeded Mauresmo of France earlier advanced to the Jan. 28 final when Kim Clijsters quit their semifinal injured. Clijsters's Belgian countrywoman Henin-Hardenne, the 2004 champion and No. 8 seed, rallied to beat fourth-seeded Russian Maria Sharapova in three sets.

Mauresmo, seeking a first Grand Slam title, was leading 5- 7, 6-2, 3-2 when Clijsters, the U.S. Open champion, slipped and hurt her right ankle.

Mauresmo, a former top-ranked player, had reached one final in 31 previous Grand Slams, losing to Martina Hingis at the 1999 Australian Open. Henin-Hardenne, 23, has won four Grand Slam titles and trails only Serena Williams (seven), Venus Williams (five) and Hingis (five) among current singles players.

``For all those years I've been working hard, adjusting a few things here and there,'' Mauresmo told reporters. ``I'm in the final right now. I don't want to stop there.''

Clijsters, playing her second match in 24 hours after beating Hingis in three sets yesterday, took painkillers for a hip injury in earlier rounds.

Frustration

She rolled her ankle as Mauresmo broke her service to lead 3-2 in the deciding set. After getting the ankle taped by a trainer, Clijsters tried to play a point and then pulled out.

``I felt I wasn't going to be able to push off sideways on my forehand,'' Clijsters told reporters. ``It's very frustrating. I felt like in that third set I was getting into it.''

The 22-year-old Clijsters had sealed the first set with a Mauresmo double-fault. The momentum changed as Mauresmo, who reached the 1999 final as an unseeded player, broke twice for a 4-1 lead on her way to taking the second set.

Henin-Hardenne extended her winning streak at the season- opening major to 13 matches. The 23-year-old didn't defend her title last year because of a knee injury.

In a match played under a closed roof as temperatures reached 37 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Fahrenheit), Henin- Hardenne clinched her victory with a trademark one-handed backhand winner. She last lost at Melbourne Park in the 2003 semifinals.

It was Sharapova's second straight loss in the last four in Melbourne. The 18-year-old was also beaten in the semifinals of her three previous Grand Slams.

``I know that probably tomorrow I'm gonna be seeing headlines, you know, `Maria can't get past the semis, Maria can't finish it off in the third,''' Sharapova told reporters. ``But take all that away and just look at the tennis that we both played today.''



To contact the reporter on this story:
Dan Baynes at Melbourne Park at dbaynes@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: January 26, 2006 09:25 EST


http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=100...refer=australia

Cyprus government to send Baghdatis family to Open final



26/01/2006
www.financialmirror.com

Cypriot tennis sensation Marcos Baghdatis will not be alone when he faces world champion Roger Federer in the 14.5-mln-dollar Australian Open in Melbourne on Sunday.

Parliament leader Demetris Christofias announced after the weekly regular session of the House Thursday that the state will pay for Baghdatis’ family to travel to Melbourne.

All of the political leaders have been sending messages of congratulations to Marcos Baghdatis’ family home in the southern coastal town of Limassol, with President Tassos Papadopoulos saying that the 20 year old ace “rightfully takes his place among the sports legends of Cyprus.”

His Lebanese-born father Christos and Greek Cypriot mother Andri have sacrificed their family’s financial welfare to send Marcos to the tennis academy in Paris from the age of 13, causing a public uproar in Cyprus that the Baghdatis family should have been helped by the state a long time ago.

“Marcos’ prize money will help reduce his family’s debt that was created to take this talented young player and turn him into junior world champion in five years,” said his uncle Pambos.

But the "young lion with a big heart" has faced all difficulty, including a 26-month potential military service that is looming over his head, to brave a beaming smile that is driving his loyal and often noisy fans in Melbourne.

Apart from his trainer-manager and Czech-born girl friend in the family box, the Baghdatises will be added to the roaring crowds on Sunday


http://www.financialmirror.com/more_news.php?id=3073

Yeah,me too would perform much better with a chech girlfriend.... :lol:

:damn: double post

YEAH BABY YEAH!!! I LOVE ME SOME TENNIS!!! Like my Lesvos boy, Philipousis B) And Especialy when any follow Helline is in the final... Cant wait for the Final. Can you imagine the party if he beats Federer? :horror: :applause: :drink2:

Let us all behave ourselves until the final is over, and then break out and burn the whole place down, hahahahaha :D :D :headbang: :headbang:

This is his girlfriend.... ;)

She looks greek to me... :lol:

Baghdatis wants to be next Federer
January 28, 2006 - 3:49PM

Marcos Baghdatis wants to be just like Roger Federer - but not before he pulls off the biggest shock in grand slam history with victory over the world No.1 in Sunday night's Australian Open final.

Baghdatis, the unseeded Cypriot bidding to rewrite the tennis record books, admits he copied many of the Swiss master's mannerisms as he snubbed his nose at tradition and sought a career in a sport barely heard of in his homeland.

That is, until Baghdatis was seen on TVs across Cyprus cutting a swathe through the Open draw - and bouncing the ball between his legs, a la Federer in his formative years.

"Yeah, I got it from Federer," Baghdatis said ahead of the biggest match of his life at Melbourne Park.

"He's a great champion. He's like one legend of the sport of tennis, maybe a legend of all the sports.

"He gave a lot to this game and he loves the game. He's a very good person. He's just playing great tennis. I would like to play ... I would like to be like him one day and maybe better."

But while the 20-year-old former world junior champion may seem awestruck, he is anything but overawed by the prospect of taking on his idol on one of the sport's four greatest stages.

He says he's not overwhelmed, not overly nervous and not convinced Federer has his measure, despite the six-time grand slam champion having beaten Baghdatis in all three previous career meetings, including this month in Doha in straight sets.

Baghdatis, hailing from the small coastal resort town of Paramytha - meaning fairytale in Greek - earnestly believes he can write his own happy ending to the story of the tournament.

"I mean, I'm in the final. Every match is different. Every day is different. I believe in it. My coach does. Everybody in my corner does. So I give myself a good chance," he said before explaining just why he believes.

"I'm really quick on the feet. I move very well in the court. I have a great eye. I see the ball very fast. I can adapt to any players, any style of players.

"I think that's my game, adapting to all the players.

"I mean, I have maybe all the shots."

As does Federer, as Baghdatis acknowledges, but Cyprus's only player in the top 1000 says he has learnt from his three losses to the Swiss and knows what to expect this time around - even if he also accepts he is the most raging of underdogs.

"First of all, he's playing really well on important points," Baghdatis said.

"He's like playing amazing. Every time he has important points, he just serves so well, he's tactically so well. He reads the game very well. He's like so fast. He has everything also.

"I don't think he's worried. (This is) his seventh grand slam final, he won six of them.

"But I think it will be a great match. I'll fight for it. I think he will fight for it. May the best win."

If the world No.54 - who is attempting to become the fourth-lowest-ranked player in grand slam history to win the championship - does manage to win, he will dedicate victory to his mother Andry.

"Why? Because a lot of sacrifices she did, and that's the one person I love the most," he said.

Baghdatis's parents have opted not to take up the Cyprus president's offer to fly them to Australia watch their son in the final.

Instead, one of his brothers and a cousin will make the trip, swelling his family support to 32 relatives - one brother, nine uncles and 22 cousins - in Melbourne.

For his part, Federer admits Baghdatis proved him wrong with his astonishing run to the final - after just 31 matches in the professional ranks.

"He proved us all wrong," Federer said after dispatching Nicolas Kiefer in Friday night's second semi-final.

"But, again, he beat quality players and he totally deserves to be in the final. Maybe he's changed something in his game (since Doha) - I don't think so - because time is just too short.

"But it definitely helps me that I've played him already once this year, so I know what to expect."

Ominously, after struggling past Tommy Haas and Nikolay Davydenko in his previous two matches, Federer feels he may have found his best form of the tournament in his last two sets against Kiefer.

"Maybe it was good to be pushed so much by Tommy and Nikolay," the top seed said.

"I hope there's another gear. I don't know. I think the way I'm playing now, it's a good level. We'll see if it's going to be enough."


http://www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/Baghda...319482160.html#

Federer wins the Trophey, a fantastic performance by a HUGE player... No worries, the future is ahead, we are pleased that Baghdatis made it so far... Markos keep up the good work!

Federer ends Baghdatis's fairytale
January 29, 2006 - 10:47PM

Roger Federer's seemingly inevitable journey to tennis immortality continued tonight when he conquered Cypriot sensation Marcos Baghdatis to win the Australian Open.

The masterful Swiss rebounded from a tentative and worrying start to end Baghdatis's fairytale run with a 5-7 7-5 6-0 6-2 victory in the men's singles final at Melbourne Park.

The 24-year-old has now won all seven of his grand slam finals, the only man to do so in more than a century, and has passed fellow all-time greats Don Budge, Jack Crawford, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg in his relentless pursuit of Pete Sampras's benchmark 14 majors.

Fittingly, Rod Laver - widely considered the greatest player ever - was in the front row inside the arena named in his honour to watch Federer in full flight as he took the first leg of the coveted grand slam.

Laver, 67, is the last of only five men to have lifted the trophy at all four slams in one year, having achieved the rare feat for a second time in 1969, and says he wouldn't bet against Federer completing his own sweep and also eclipsing Sampras's record.

Rockhampton's most famous son said Federer possessed every aspect a player needed and refused to place a limit on the 24-year-old's potential.

"As soon as they make a mistake, Roger just sits on them," Laver said of the modern-day marvel.

"His court coverage is uncanny ... he can do it all from behind the baseline, but if they slip up, he's in there.

"If his backhand's in good shape, he just rolls."

Laver said Federer's age "is not really an issue when you're looking at someone like Roger".

"He could be 31, 32 and be winning (titles) if the desire's there," he said.

Among a catalogue of precedents, Federer's latest success, following his Wimbledon and US Open triumphs last year, also makes him the first man since Sampras in 1994 to win three successive grand slam titles.

But it wasn't all one-way traffic against Baghdatis, the world No.54 who was audaciously striving to become the fourth-lowest-ranked player to win a slam.

In a showdown featuring two former world junior champions, the Cypriot smacked a huge forehand winner in the opening game to quickly show his esteemed rival he was anything but overawed - despite appearing in a major final in only his 38th match in the professional ranks.

While Baghdatis ran hot, Federer was showing plenty of chinks early, dropping serve in the fifth game of the match with three unforced errors on the spin.

Although Baghdatis handed the break straight back with a double-fault, the mistakes continued to flow from Federer's racquet as the Swiss struggled to find his usually impeccable Swiss timing.

He blasted another forehand long to hand a second break to the Cypriot, who didn't need a third invitation to convert his dominance into a one-set advantage.

Federer ended the first set with a netted backhand but worse was to follow for the world No.1.

A double-fault followed by yet another forehand miss gifted Baghdatis a break for a 1-0 lead in the second set and two games later he was staring down the barrel of a double break and, as such, a normally insurmountable deficit in a set.

Federer only had himself to blame, coughing up his third double-fault and committing an inexcusable error when he lazily half-volleyed wide of an open court with Baghdatis out of position.

But, as true champions do, he staved off the two break points and promptly broke Baghdatis the very next game when the Cypriot flayed a forehand long.

The recovery had begun and Baghdatis was to pay heavily for a mental lapse in the 12th game of the set.

From 40-love up on serve, the Open's 2003 junior champion lost five straight points to donate the set to Federer.

An overrule in Federer's favour - which replays confirmed to be correct - from French umpire Pascal Maria on set point may have unsettled Baghdatis, whose game dropped considerably as the world No.1's rose.

The Swiss wizard raced through the third set and continued his dominance in the fourth before Baghdatis - the only Cypriot ranked in the world's top 1000 - finally snapped an 11-game losing sequence, to everyone's relief.

Still, at 3-1 up, the best frontrunner in the business was not about to let this one slip and Federer prevailed after two hours and 46 minutes, in doing so extending his record winning streak on hard courts to 52 matches.

He last lost on the surface against Marat Safin in the semi-finals of the 2005 Australian Open and few are predicting his next defeat.

Although Baghdatis handed the break straight back with a double-fault, the mistakes continued to flow from Federer's racquet as the Swiss struggled to find his usually impeccable Swiss timing.

He blasted another forehand long to hand a second break to the Cypriot, who didn't need a third invitation to convert his dominance into a one-set advantage.

Federer ended the first set with a netted backhand but worse was to follow for the world No.1.

A double-fault followed by yet another forehand miss gifted Baghdatis a break for a 1-0 lead in the second set and two games later he was staring down the barrel of a double break and, as such, a normally insurmountable deficit in a set.

Federer only had himself to blame, coughing up his third double-fault and committing an inexcusable error when he lazily half-volleyed wide of an open court with Baghdatis out of position.

But, as true champions do, he staved off the two break points and promptly broke Baghdatis the very next game when the Cypriot flayed a forehand long.

The recovery had begun and Baghdatis was to pay heavily for a mental lapse in the 12th game of the set.

From 40-love up on serve, the Open's 2003 junior champion lost five straight points to donate the set to Federer.

An overrule in Federer's favour - which replays confirmed to be correct - from French umpire Pascal Maria on set point may have unsettled Baghdatis, whose game dropped considerably as the world No.1's rose.

The Swiss wizard raced through the third set and continued his dominance in the fourth before Baghdatis - the only Cypriot ranked in the world's top 1000 - finally snapped an 11-game losing sequence, to everyone's relief.

Still, at 3-1 up, the best frontrunner in the business was not about to let this one slip and Federer prevailed after two hours and 46 minutes, in doing so extending his record winning streak on hard courts to 52 matches.

He last lost on the surface against Marat Safin in the semi-finals of the 2005 Australian Open and few are predicting his next defeat.




http://www.smh.com.au/news/tennis/federer-...8469609114.html

123.thanks

Great game and effort by Markos. Did as well as he could. With increased stamina and some more experience he is certainly able to win a major in the future. :thumbsup:

Greek fans put on show for Baghdatis
January 30, 2006 - 5:59AM

While crowd favourite Marcos Baghdatis bowed to Grand Slam whiz Roger Federer in the Australian Open tennis final, about 6,000 fans cheered on the gutsy Cypriot at Melbourne's Federation Square.

The action was hot on centre court but fans who missed out on tickets created their own fun before the giant screen.

The fans' enthusiasm waned as Federer took control of the match to defeat Baghdatis three sets to one.

But the crowd's spirit was electric, as patriotic Greeks played the bongos, other musical trinkets and set off a harmless smoke flare, keeping themselves entertained.

The cheers soon lost their roar as Baghdatis struggled to match Federer's mental fitness.

Federer now has the chance to take out the Grand Slam by winning four consecutive titles.

The hopes of 1,500 Greek Cypriots in Sydney were dashed when their hero lost the Australian Open tennis final.

The chanting, screaming, whistling fans of all ages sat, stood and crouched where they could to watch five large television screens set up at Sydney's Cyprus Community Club in Stanmore.

They went wild when Baghdatis won the first set 7-5 but their enthusiasm subsided as Federer, hailed as one of the greatest players of all time, won the next three sets and the title.

But all was not hopeless for Sydney's Greeks.

As one fan said, Greece has had much to celebrate in recent times, including winning the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest, European championships in soccer and basketball, and hosting the 2004 Olympics.

Club president Michael Chrisodoulou said it had been a "fantastic" week for the club's members as they closely followed Baghdati to the final.

"A young boy from Cyprus has made it onto the international sporting stage and its wonderful he has made it here in Australia," Mr Chrisodoulou said.

Also at the club was NSW state MP, John Hatzistergos who said tennis fans around the world would still consider Baghdati "a champion" despite his loss.

More than 400 souvlakis were served at the club.

© 2006 AAP


http://www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/Greeks...8469627105.html

Despite Aussie Loss, Baghdatis Undaunted
Baghdatis Bandwagon Rolls on Despite Loss in Australian Open Finals
By DENNIS PASSA
The Associated Press
MELBOURNE, Australia - Marcos Baghdatis and his coach can keep their day jobs.

Baghdatis, the surprise of the Australian Open, lost his championship match Sunday to top-seeded Roger Federer. He threaten early before dropping a 5-7, 7-5, 6-0, 6-2 decision to the Swiss star.

"I told (my coach) if I win the Australian Open, I'll stop tennis," Baghdatis said, smiling. "He told me if I win it, he'll stop working."

The Cypriot with the boisterous Greek following spent two weeks in the tennis spotlight and will move up in the rankings from 54th to the 20s. He more than tripled his career prize money during his stay in Melbourne Park.

Baghdatis made the audacious pat with coach Guillaume Payre after he lost a first-round match three weeks ago at Auckland, New Zealand. But his next stop will be Cyprus for a two-week break with his family, then back on the ATP trail on Feb. 13 in Marseille, France.

When he returns, Baghdatis can take inspiration from his coach's words after the match.

"I'm 20 years old, and he told me I have a lot in front of me to do and it's not finished," he said. "There are a lot of players like me who want it so much and have the heart, have the fire in them to do what I did this week."

Back in Cyprus, the defeat did not stop people from pouring into the main square of Paramytha village the home of Baghdatis' parents under the deafening sound of fireworks, gunfire, church bells and music.

Celebrations also spread to the Aghios Nikolaos roundabout the traditional venue for all sporting celebrations in Limassol where fans draped in Greek and Cypriot flags chanted his name.

"The winner today was Cyprus, our country," said Baghdatis' father, Christos.

Baghdatis became the first Cypriot to play in a Grand Slam final and officials in Limassol are preparing a massive welcome for him. The port city's council has announced it will name a street after him and establish a Marcos Baghdatis prize for athletes who excel.

"We don't care if he lost, he is still a winner for us," youngster Kyriakos Theodosiou said.

Baghdatis had the edge to start the match, winning the first set and going up a break in the second. At 5-5 in the second, he lost the next 11 games and never recovered.

"He had been returning so well," Federer said. "Credit to him. He really didn't allow me to play my game. But he may have got a little bit tired, maybe disappointed that he didn't win the second when he could have. I got a bit more aggressive and it paid off."

Baghdatis said he started thinking too much.

"I wanted to continue being aggressive ... not to give Federer time to play his game," he said. "Maybe I was a bit scared of him. Maybe I didn't really believe it. Things were happening so fast."

His Australian run captured the attention of thousands of Greek fans. The president called him after his fourth-round win, and a local soccer team sent him a signed jersey.

His brother, Petros, arrived for Sunday's final with a song on a CD written by Cypriot schoolchildren.

In Melbourne, he couldn't walk the streets without being mobbed for autographs. He went from obscurity to a recognizable, smiling face who kept knocking off opponents.

He didn't plan any celebration with family and friends on Sunday night.

"I just lost the match, I just lost the final," he said. "I would like to stay in the hotel and play some cards and just relax a bit.

"I'm not really in the mood to go have fun. It will take me one or two days to come back and smile again."


Associated Press writer George Psyllides in Nicosia, Cyprus, contributed to this report.


http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/print?id=1554540

Here's the official site of the HELLAS FAN CLUB, whose members supported Baghdatis through the Australian Open. Cool photos...

Hellas Fan Club

***

Australian open part 2 ,i wach the game right now second round baghdatis vs. a french guy..

it looks bad for baghdatis ...

hmm let see until the end ..the greek fans make again a soccer stadium :thumbsup:

Marcos Baghdatis (Right-handed)Nationality: CYPRUS
Date of birth: 17/06/1985 Height: 1.83
Weight :80 kg

Gaël Monfils (Right-handed)Nationality: FRANCE
Date of birth: 01/09/1986 Height: 1.92
Weight :80 kg

Score:
M.Baghdatis 6(5) 2 6 0 -


G.Monfils 7(7) 6 2 6 -

http://www.eurosport.com/tennis/australian...mtc173844.shtml


Monfils is damn good. Any of those French bastards can be top 10. Tough, fit, and good shotmakers. And so is Vagdatis. If he had won that 1st set, it could easily be a different game. Tough loss...