Marcos Bagdatis by Max Cook

AUGUST 7, by Paula Schumann

The weather was perfect for tennis on Saturday afternoon at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic as the first semifinal singles match got underway inside the Stadium
Court. Marco Baghdatis (CYP) faced Xavier Malisse (BEL) in a match whose
outcome seemed anyone’s guess. There was no favorite and no underdog.

The stadium was still filling up as the match began with Malisse serving. He
held his serve easily and seemed calm and confident. Baghdatis got off to a shaky start when his service game went to deuce twice before holding. But as
things progressed you could see the two styles of play establish a certain rhythm
that would prevail throughout the match. Mallise played deep from the back of
the court, confident with his seemingly effortless ground strokes, and Baghdatis
worked from inside the baseline, coming in to take points at the net.

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