Tennis: Australian Open ChampionshipsMarcos Baghdatis, the Cypriot who took last year's Australian Open by storm, was blown away by Gael Monfils in the second round yesterday. The Frenchman captivated the hearts and minds of everybody in the Rod Laver arena with his astonishing athleticism, massive serve and forehand, and colossal exuberance in a 7-6, 6-2, 2-6, 6-0 victory.
Here, Baghdatis had only previously lost to Federer - in the fourth round two years ago and in last year's final - but on this occasion the combination of an inspired opponent and the weight of expectation dragged him down to the mundane.
"I wasn't here, I wasn't in the match," he admitted. "Everything went so fast, I couldn't control anything. I tried to fight, to find a way, but nothing was working.
"He deserves it. Gael played a great match. He was very aggressive, playing deep all the time. I couldn't find a solution."
A year ago Baghdatis, with his posse of Greek supporters, drew the Australian crowds into his dream, but here the coruscating ground-strokes that felled all but Federer were missing, while his brilliant touch deserted him.
It was all a little sad, or would have been had not Monfils's unfettered joy shone as bright as the arena's floodlights.
Monfils's best slam run came at Roland Garros last year when he won three five-set matches, including a first-round victory over Britain's Andy Murray.
Nobody is as quick around the court as this gangling Frenchman, while James Blake, the American world number five, believes the youngster's forehand is the fiercest of anyone's. One hit last night was timed at 196kmph.
Yet Monfils is also an accident waiting to happen. His limbs fly in all directions as he swoops and slides around the court, and his ankles seem always on the point of giving out. Indeed he burns holes in the sides of his shoes and, after the third set he was limping so badly that it appeared he might have to default.
But he ripped off the taping and then ripped into Baghdatis who had nothing else to give in the face of this fresh onslaught. Monfils, who next plays fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet, was ecstatic.
"When I first got on the court I was a little bit scared because the stadium was so full," said the 20-year-old. "To win such a big match was magic. That's the word, magic."
Marat Safin, the champion in 2005, was two points from defeat against a qualifier, Israel's Dudi Sela, before the rain came down in Melbourne. When the roof in the Vodafone arena was closed and play restarted, Safin banished his earlier uncertainties to win 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 7-6, 6-0 and set up a third-round match against Andy Roddick, who had a straight-sets victory over Marc Gicquel of France.
In the women's draw, Amelie Mauresmo's defence of her title continued smoothly with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over the 19-year-old Russian, Olga Poutchkova.
Mauresmo will now meet Eva Birnerova after the Czech disposed of German Julia Schruff in three sets.
"I felt I was also moving pretty well tonight and very serious in what I was doing," she sad. "I felt pretty good out there tonight. It was good."
Earlier in the day, highly-rated Serb, Jelena Jankovic signalled her title aspirations with yet another textbook performance.
Squaring off against Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual in more mild Melbourne conditions, the in-form 11th seed took little more than an hour to wrap things up 6-2 6-2.
Also in stunning form was Russian fifth seed Nadia Petrova, who took less than an hour to close out her match with Argentine Gisela Dulko 6-1 6-2.
Serena Williams, the champion in 2003 and 2005, came from 4-1 down in a tie-break to beat Luxembourg's Anne Kremer, a qualifier, 7-6, 6-2, and will next play Petrova.
Guardian Service
Australian Open Results
MEN'S SINGLES
SECOND ROUND:(1) Roger Federer (Swi) bt Jonas Bjorkman (Swe) 6-2 6-3 6-2, (16) David Ferrer (Spa) bt Thomas Johansson (Swe) 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-2, Danai Udomchoke (Tha) bt (24) Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spa) 7-6 (7-0) 7-5 4-6 6-1, (9) Mario Ancic (Cro) bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spa) 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-2, (25) Mikhail Youzhny (Rus) bt Yen-Hsun Lu (Tpe) 7-5 6-4 6-4, (22) Dominik Hrbaty (Svk) bt Vincent Spadea (USA) 5-7 6-4 6-4 6-3, (26) Marat Safin (Rus) bt Dudi Sela (Isr) 6-3 5-7 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-0, Gael Monfils (Fra) bt (11) Marcos Baghdatis (Cyp) 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 2-6 6-0, (14) Novak Djokovic (Ser) bt Feliciano Lopez (Spa) 6-2 7-5 6-1, (18) Richard Gasquet (Fra) bt Amer Delic (USA) 6-1 6-2 6-4, (6) Andy Roddick (USA) bt Marc Gicquel (Fra) 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-4, Wayne Arthurs (Aus) bt Zack Fleishman (USA) 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 6-4 6-4, (20) Radek Stepanek (Cze) bt Lukas Dlouhy (Cze) 4-6 4-6 6-4 6-1 6-4, (7) Tommy Robredo (Spa) bt Jurgen Melzer (Aut) 6-1 6-3 6-3, Mardy Fish (USA) bt Nicolas Mahut (Fra) 7-5 6-4 3-6 6-4, Samuel Querrey (USA) bt Florent Serra (Fra) 6-3 6-4 6-3.
WOMEN'S SINGLES
FIRST ROUND:Ashley Harkleroad (USA) bt Meng Yuan (Chn) 6-3 6-0, Emilie Loit (Fra) bt Aravane Rezai (Fra) 6-3 4-6 6-3, (19) Na Li (Chn) bt Elena Bovina (Rus) 6-4 6-3, Shuai Peng (Chn) bt Andreja Klepac (Svk) 6-3 4-6 6-1, (8) Patty Schnyder (Swi) bt Madison Brengle (USA) 6-3 6-4, Youlia Fedossova (Fra) bt Catalina Castano (Col) 7-5 6-4, Tamira Paszek (Aut) bt Severine Bremond (Fra) 6-1 6-4, (15) Daniela Hantuchova (Svk) bt Alize Cornet (Fra) 6-4 6-1, (17) Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Ger) bt Sandra Zahlavova (Cze) 6-4 6-1, Lourdes Dominguez Lino (Spa) bt Ahsha Rolle (USA) 6-3 6-4, (22) Vera Zvonareva (Rus) bt Tzipora Obziler (Isr) 6-3 6-4, (9) Dinara Safina (Rus) bt Ekaterina Bychkova (Rus) 7-6 (7-5) 6-1.
SECOND ROUND:Eva Birnerova (Cze) bt Julia Schruff (Ger) 6-2 2-6 6-2, Serena Williams (USA) bt Anne Kremer (Lux) 7-6 (7-4) 6-2, (11) Jelena Jankovic (Ser) bt Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spa) 6-2 6-2, (5) Nadia Petrova (Rus) bt Gisela Dulko (Arg) 6-1 6-2, Anastasia Yakimova (Blr) bt (23) Ai Sugiyama (Jpn) 6-2 2-6 10-8, (10) Nicole Vaidisova (Cze) bt Milagros Sequera (Ven) 6-2 6-1, Maria Elena Camerin (Ita) bt Elena Vesnina (Rus) 4-6 6-3 8-6, (2) Amelie Mauresmo (Fra) bt Olga Poutchkova (Rus) 6-2 6-2, (21) Katarina Srebotnik (Slo) bt Iveta Benesova (Cze) 7-6 (7-0) 6-7 (6-8) 6-1, (7) Elena Dementieva (Rus) bt Martina Muller (Ger) 7-5 3-6 6-0, (16) Shahar Peer (Isr) bt Melien Tu (USA) 6-3 6-0, (3) Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) bt Monique Adamczak (Aus) 6-2 6-1, (20) Tatiana Golovin (Fra) bt Zuzana Ondraskova (Cze) 6-2 6-0, Victoria Azarenka (Blr) bt (18) Marion Bartoli (Fra) 6-0 7-5, (26) Maria Kirilenko (Rus) bt Julia Vakulenko (Ukr) 4-6 6-3 6-4, Lucie Safarova (Cze) bt (14) Francesca Schiavone (Ita) 6-3 6-3.
