Baghdatis stuns Berdych in Halle tennis tournament 1st round
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Halle Westfalen (Germany) (AFP)
Fourth seed Tomas Berdych was stunned 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/4) in the first round of the ATP Halle grasscourt tournament by Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis on Tuesday.
In a repeat of the 2007 Halle final -- won in straight sets by the Czech player -- Baghdatis won the mental battle by prevailing in a pair of tie-breaks.
It was the 30-year-old Berdych's first match since losing to world number one Novak Djokovic in the French Open quarter-finals.
Baghdatis, who reached a career high ranking of No.8 in 2006 -- the year he reached the Australian Open final and Wimbledon semi-final -- has been slowly returning to form this season, although he is currently No.42 in the world.
© 2016 AFP