Analysis for Youzhny-Baghdatis (ATP Queens)

Head-to-head record 1:2

Cypriot Baghdatis and Russian Youzhny will fight for the third round spot in London. Marcos Baghdatis has been trying to come back for some time but grass season is coming which is something he needed. Baghdatis's playing style is relaxed and smooth. His main strength is a powerful forehand and a natural talent for placement. He can make accurate and powerful down-the-line forehands and cross-court forehands on the run and often patiently constructs points to get in a position from where he can make outright winners with those shots. He also has one of the best backhands in the game, especially his two-handed backhand down the line. Baghdatis is noted for often playing high-risk tennis, attempting difficult shots which, depending on their execution, can pay off big or backfire. Unfortunately, these difficult shots have sometimes resulted in self-destructive losses. On the other hand, he has always played well on grass and we think that he now has the chance to get the lost positions back. In the first round, he was impressive against home talent J.Ward. His opponent Mikhael Youzhny played weak grass courter O.Hernandez in the first round and even if he cam through easily, it doesn’t mean he has a stellar form. Youzhny has a unique backhand, in which he mainly hits one-handed, but also has somewhat of a hybrid reminiscent to that of Bjorn Borg. Youzhny at times will follow through his backhand with both hands, but with only his right hand on his racket. Even so, many consider his backhand to be his best shot. From both sides, Youzhny hits the ball on the rise, achieving a flatter trajectory. He has a good court sense and often makes use of dropshots. Youzhny has a reputation for engaging the crowd, subsequently taking inspiration from it to attempt high-risk winners, especially when facing matchpoints. However, his best years are over and we don’t expect him to get back to his previous level. He is not a bad grass-courter but still should be an underdog against crazy Cypriot. Baghdatis´s odds above 1.9 are good enough for us.