DUBAI - Marcos Baghdatis overcame a tough challenge at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday, beating French No. 8 seed Gilles Simon 7-6(3), 6-4 for a place in the second round. It was the pair’s first meeting in nearly three years.
The Limassol-born tennis star, who received treatment for an upset stomach in the first set and is ranked 37th in the world, hit 14 aces for victory in one hour and 43 minutes. He captured his fourth ATP World Tour title at the Medibank International Sydney title last month and has an 11-4 record on the season.
Simon, appearing in his second ATP World Tour tournament of the year after being sidelined by a knee injury, reached the 2009 Dubai semi-finals losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.