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Updated Thursday, March 18, 2010 10:49 am TWN, By Rebecca Bryan, AFP Baghdatis topples No. 1 Federer“Seven is my lucky number,” Baghdatis said on Tuesday after polishing off the 16-time Grand Slam champion in two hours and 22 minutes to reach the fourth round of the Indian Wells ATP Masters 1000. He finished it off with a service winner on his first match point — after surviving a match point in the 12th game of the third set, when Federer netted a backhand. Federer's other two match points came at 5-4 of the second set — when he took a 15-40 lead on Baghdatis' serve but fired first a foreh Russell. World number four Murray beat the American — ranked 68th in the world — 6-3, 7-5. But Russell, who has never reached an ATP Tour final, didn't go quietly, breaking the Briton in the ninth game of the second set as Murray served for the match, putting the set back on serve after Murray's early break. Murray next faces Spain's Nicols Almagro, who beat American James Blake 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Sixth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling needed just one break of serve to post a 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 win over Spain's Feliciano Lopez. Soderling, last year's French Open runner-up, fired 14 aces in a dominant performance on serve as he bids for a second title of 2010 to go with the one he captured in Rotterdam. He holds a 2-0 career record over his fourth-round opponent, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France. Tsonga blasted 17 aces as he overcame a slow start to beat Spain's Albert Montanes 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Spaniard Albert Montanes. Andy Roddick, seeded seventh, used a break of serve in each set to beat Thiemo De Bakker of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-4. Roddick, who opened his season with a victory in Brisbane, also reached the final last month in San Jose, where he lost to Fernando Verdasco. Roddick next faces Austrian Jurgen Melzer, who advanced on a walkover when Germany's Simon Greul withdrew from their scheduled match because of illness. Women's quarter-final berths were on the line, with second-seeded Caroline Wozniacki among those advancing. The Danish teenager is the highest seed left in the draw after the second-round exit of top-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova. Aussie eighth seed Samantha Stosur ousted defending champion Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 7-5. Of six former women's champions who started the tournament, Zvonareva had been the last one standing. Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here |
![]() Roger Federer of Switzerland leaves the court after loosing to Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus during the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday, March 16, at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in ... More Photos (2)
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