Ferrer beats Baghdatis in Aussie Open

18 Jan 2013, 11:06 pm   -   Source: AAP

Spanish fourth seed David Ferrer has comfortably beaten Cypriot crowd favourite Marcos Baghdatis in the Australian Open.

Spanish running machine David Ferrer subdued Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis' normally-noisy Melbourne Park fan base as he clinically ousted the crowd favourite in the Australian Open third round on Friday night.

The ultra-consistent 30-year-old fourth seed - who reached at least the quarter-finals of every major last year but is yet to reach a grand slam final - downed 2006 Open finalist Baghdatis 6-4 6-2 6-3 in less than two hours.

Baghdatis came from two sets down to beat Ferrer at the Australian Open three years ago, his only win in four previous career meetings with the Spaniard.

But he never looked like repeating that effort on Friday night.

While Ferrer lacks the power of Novak Djokovic, the artistry of Roger Federer or the inventiveness of Andy Murray - the three players seeded ahead of him in Melbourne - he won more ATP Tour matches (76) than that trio or anyone else last year.

He showed why on Friday night.

The diminutive Ferrer's unquenchable appetite for chasing down balls and sending back deep baseline shots dismantled the Cypriot's flashier baseline game.

When Baghdatis tried to alter the game's pattern by rushing the net it was no more effective, Ferrer picking him off with accurate passing shots, leaving the 28th seed with no answer.

Ferrer picked his own times to approach the net less often but more shrewdly and generally closed out those points as methodically as his baseline work.

Ferrer will next play Japan's Kei Nishikori, who beat him at last year's Olympics on Wimbledon's grass, but Ferrer should enjoy playing the 16th seed more on Melbourne Park's hardcourts.

Ferrer said he was glad to get through a match he had expected to be tough.

"I played my best match of this week. To beat Marcos I needed to play my best tennis and I did," he said.

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube