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Baghdatis beat Michael Berrer of Germany

By Nemanja Bjedov

MARCOS Baghdatis beat Michael Berrer of Germany 7-6, 6-1 in the quarter-finals of the Barclays Tennis Championships in Dubai last night.

The Cypriot number one fired down eight aces in a tight opening set which he won after a tie-break.

The confidence then started to flow through Baghdatis as he twice broke Berrer’s serve to take a 5-0 lead, serving the match out after one hour and 38 minutes.

In the semi-finals, Baghdatis will take on Novak Djokovic after the second seed survived a barrage of 14 aces from Ivan Ljubicic, making a second set stand on the way to a 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 turnaround victory.

The Serb is now two victories away from finally defending a title in his career after winning in Dubai last year.

"For a set and half, Ivan was the number two of the world, I couldn't do anything against him," said a relieved Djokovic, who finished up with a break in the last game of the second set to level and swept away the third unchallenged.

"Until I began to play better, I had no rhythm, I don't know how I won. I'm just happy to be able to fight and finally get through.

"Ivan was serving rockets, I just had to try and block them back as best I could. In the end I made it."

Baghdatis and Djokovic have faced each three times on tour so far, with the Serb coming out on top on all three occasions, most notably in an epic five set thriller at Wimbledon.

Elsewhere in Dubai, in-form Marin Cilic fell to a rare loss as Jurgen Melzer upset the Croat 7-6, 7-5.

Melzer will play 2007 finalist Mikhail Youzhny after the Russian put out Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 6-4 a day after the Serb defeated Andy Murray.