Big serving Kevin Anderson has a tough second round clash against Marcos Baghdatis on Wednesday.
Sixth seed Anderson dashed the hopes of local favourite Andreas Haider-Maurer on Monday, sealing a comfortable 6-4, 6-4 win with a break apiece in each set. Haider-Maurer stunned everyone in Vienna last year by reaching the final as a qualifier but any chance of a repeat was quickly snuffed out by some ruthless serving from Anderson who saved all five of break points he faced.
Baghdatis made an equally comfortable start, seeing off Ryan Sweeting 6-4, 6-2. The Cypriot has looked in promising form over the past month, reaching the final in Kuala Lumpur and he was upbeat about his performance.
"It felt great. I’m really happy the way I fought today," he enthused. "Ryan was playing pretty good and I fought good and found a way to win, which is the most important thing, and I’m very happy about that."
Baghdatis knows he faces a tough ask against the service might of Anderson but he believes he has a chance. "What I have to do is just go out there and continue the way I’m playing," he said. "Continue pushing, fighting and being aggressive."
Prediction: Baghdatis in two.
