12 February,2011 06:56 AM IST | | AFP
Ivan Ljubicic needed 18 aces and two tie-breaks to post a win over Marcos Baghdatis yesterday, advancing 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/4) against the Cypriot into the semi-finals of the ATP Rotterdam tournament.
Ivan Ljubicic
Ljubicic, who played the 2005 final against Roger Federer at the Ahoy stadium, renewed his long-ago promise to buy every fan in the stands a drink should he reach another Dutch title match and claim the victory. "It's a long way but I'm sticking to my promise," said the 15th-ranked Croatian, owner of 10 career trophys and loser in four of five meetings with Baghdatis.
"But the stadium has 5,000 more seats than it did back then," he joked in reference to a 2010 overhaul which added around 1,500 places in the hall. Ljubicic is unworried by the extra rest time enjoyed by upcoming opponent Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who advanced without stepping onto court when fourth-seeded opponent Tomas Berdych retired before their match with influenza. The seventh seed improved to 17-8 in Rotterdam, where he played finals in 2005 and 2007.
