TENNIS in DEPTH.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic rallied past Ivan Ljubicic 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 Thursday to advance at the Dubai Championships.

Djokovic was down a set and 4-4 against former finalist Ivan Ljubicic, who had 14 aces. But Djokovic won the next eight games and wil play Marcos Baghdatis in the semi final.

“After losing the first set comfortably, I tried to hold my serve,” Djokovic said. “I knew that at a certain point he’s going to miss (a) couple of first serves, and that was my chance. “

In the other semi final Jurgen Melzer will face seventh-seeded Mikhail Youzhny, who beat Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 6-3, 6-4.

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Lleyton Hewitt will face Roger Federer in the fourth round after his third-round opponent Marcos Baghdatis retired with a shoulder injury in the second set on Saturday.

Hewitt was leading 6-0, 4-2 when Baghdatis walked to the net to concede the match and give Hewitt an early passage into the round of 16.

It was an anti-climatic end to the match after Hewitt, who lost to Marat Safin here in the 2005 final, had broken Baghdatis’s service four times to control the match on Rod Laver Arena.

Baghdatis was treated for a right shoulder injury at the changeover after dropping the opening set to love and was seen taking two painkilling tablets.

But once he was broken in the sixth game of the second set he decided he could not continue and retired.

Baghdatis said afterwards: “I just feel some pain in the shoulder. In the match I just couldn’t hit the forehand, I couldn’t control the ball.”

He added that he had been aware of a niggle prior to the game, but did not think the pain would be so severe, saying: “I wasn’t thinking about it, I had a bit of pain but nothing unusual. I didn’t think it would be this painful and this bothering during the match.”

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Lleyton Hewitt dug deep into his reserves of time-honoured grit to defeat American Donald Young on Thursday and set up an enticing third round encounter with Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus.

Hewitt and Baghdatis’s last meeting at the Australian Open was another third round encounter in 2008, a five-set marathon that had both players slugging it out until after 4:30 a.m. — the tournament’s latest ever finish.

The 22nd seeded Australian won the match but Baghdatis, who rallied to defeat Spain’s David Ferrer earlier on Thursday, avenged the loss in a hard-fought three-set win at the Sydney International last week.

“We’ve played each other three times. It’s not quite like Nadal-Federer just yet,” Hewitt, wearing the Australian flag on his sleeve, told reporters after defeating Young 7-6 6-4 6-1.

“I know what to expect. He’s in good form and hitting the ball extremely clean. He’s gonna be feeling confident after winning last week.”

“Knocking off David Ferrer in five sets isn’t easy either,” said Hewitt, who was beaten in another hard-fought clash by the Cypriot at the quarter finals in Wimbledon in 2006.

Two-time grand slam champion Hewitt last major tilt at his home major was in 2005 when Marat Safin beat him in the final, but the Australian still dreams of hoisting the trophy despite the growing toll of age and injuries.

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Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus overcame the distraction of a lengthy rain interruption to beat France’s Richard Gasquet 6-4 7-6 in the final of the Sydney International on Saturday.

Baghdatis, who burst on to the world stage when he made the Australian Open final in 2006, regained his composure after a lapse in concentration to claim his fourth ATP title in the final lead-up event before the first grand slam of 2010.

The 24-year-old made a flying start at the Sydney Olympic tennis centre, breaking Gasquet’s opening service game then taking the first set, but lost his way after a 75-minute delay early in the second set.

Gasquet quickly established a 5-2 lead and served for the set but Baghdatis broke back and eventually sealed victory in the tiebreak.

Baghdatis has been plagued with injuries over the past two seasons and was reduced to playing on the Challenger circuit last year.

He won three Challenger titles as well as an ATP event at Stockholm and has been great form this past week, advancing to to the final after tough three-set wins over Lleyton Hewitt and Mardy Fish.

Baghdatis is drawn to play Italian Paolo Lorenzi in his opening match at the Australian Open.

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Marcos Baghdatis stole the show in Sydney as he knocked Australian No.1 Lleyton Hewitt out of the MediBank International with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 quarter-final victory.

The quarter-final match-up promised much after the pair had a five set classic the last time they met in the 2008 Australian Open, and they delivered again in three keenly contested sets.

Hewitt started in promising fashion, breaking Baghdatis early in the first set and hanging tough as the Cypriot pushed to level the scores.

The former world No.1 held firm, took the set and then stole a break and a 2-1 lead in the second set.

But Baghdatis lifted his play to reel off six straight games, taking the set and a 1-0 lead in the third.

A solitary service break was then enough to secure the decider for the 2006 Australian Open finalist who finished off the four-time Sydney champion with an ace.

Baghdatis will now take on Mardy Fish.

Meanwhile former world No.7 Richard Gasquet booked a semi-final spot for a second successive year after beating Italy’s Potito Starace 6-3 7-6 (9-7).

Gasquet looked in fine touch, showing the class that made him a top 10 player before his two-and-a-half month ban after testing positive to cocaine last year.

He’ll meet countryman Julien Benneteau after his 6-4 6-7 (7-5) 6-0 win over Argentine Leonardo Mayer.

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Former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis downed American Mardy Fish 7-5 7-5 in the first match of the day at Pat Rafter Arena.

After the match Baghdatis said he was happy to come away with a win despite not being overjoyed with his form.

“It wasn’t my best match, but I’m very happy with the way I played today. It’s my first match since two and a half, three months, so I’m pretty happy,” he said.

Baghdatis moves into the second round where Czech fourth seed Tomas Berdych lies in wait after ousting Australian qualifier Nick Lindahl in the first round.

Recently Baghdatis has been working on improving his fitness ahead of the Australian summer and believes that winning a major is not out of the question.

“I see myself winning a Grand Slam, I don’t know when, but, I don’t know if it’s coming this year or not but I’m waiting for it.”

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 Marcos Baghdatis lifted his first ATP World Tour title since February 2007, after defeating Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-1, 7-5 at the If Stockholm Open on Sunday. Baghdatis became the 10th unseeded winner of the ATP World Tour this year.

World No. 66 Baghdatis earned €93,000 in prize money and won 250 South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking points, while Rochus pocketed €49,000 and 150 points.

Baghdatis, who won his third ATP Challenger Tour title last week at Tashkent (d. Istomin), made a confident start in his seventh ATP World Tour final.

The 24 year old converted his third break point opportunity in the fourth game and his decisively broke in the sixth game. He won 66 per cent of service points and hit eight aces in the 40-minute first set.

The pair exchanged service breaks at the start of the second set and again in the sixth and seventh games. Baghdatis, who beat Rochus 7-5, 6-4 at the 2006 Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, broke serve for the fifth time in the 11th game and went on to wrap up victory in one hour and 39 minutes.

The talented Baghdatis, who has not quite lived up to his promise after reaching the Australian Open final in 2006, sunk to his knees and celebrated.

Clearly moved, he kissed the floor of the Royal Tennis Hall.

“It’s a great feeling and I’m so happy,” Baghdatis said in an on-court interview. “It’s been a long while since I’ve won a tournament, especially an ATP tournament.”

Baghdatis’s two previous wins came in Beijing in 2006 and in Zagreb in 2007.

“Last year was really hard for me, so it’s great to have this win today. I don’t really know what to say right now, I’m just happy. I wish it continues.”

“First set, I was a bit lucky and broke him twice. Then in the second set Olivier started playing, he began returning me and reading my game.”

Asked about his future, Baghdatis, 24, said: “I don’t want any limits, and I don’t want to set any goals. I just want to be more consistent than ever.”

Baghdatis won 62 per cent of service points, hit 15 aces and saved four of six break points. It was his third ATP World Tour trophy (3-4 lifetime) and first since 4 February 2007 at the PBZ Zagreb Indoors.

The former World No. 8 (21 August 2006) improved to a 23-16 match record on the year. Rochus, 28, dropped to 3-4 in ATP World Tour finals and to 13-7 this year. It was his first final appearance since 30 September 2007 at Mumbai (l. to Gasquet).

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