Baghdatis sees off Hewitt

Baghdatis: return to form

Also see

• Tennis Results
• ATP Schedule
• Tennis on Sky
• Messageboards

Home favourite Lleyton Hewitt slumped out of the Sydney International after surrendering a one-set lead to Marcos Baghdatis.

The fourth seed - four times a winner of this event - claimed the opening set in a little less than an hour and looked on target for an easy victory early in the second.

But Hewitt's wayward serve and a string of unforced errors allowed world number 42 Baghdatis back into the contest, and the Cypriot - a finalist at the Australian Open four years ago - took full advantage by winning six consecutive games to extend the match.

Having claimed the early break in the final set, Baghdatis showed glimpses of the form that saw him progress to the 2006 final in Melbourne, mixing power and precision to progress to the last four with a 4-6 6-2 6-3 victory.

"I'm really happy the way I played," Baghdatis told the ATP Tour website. "I'm feeling fit, no injuries, no pain anywhere, so I guess I will need some more matches like this to start feeling my game coming slowly, slowly back."

Baghdatis will now face Mardy Fish in the final four after the American ended the hopes of another home hope, Peter Luczak, with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 victory.

In the top half of the draw, Richard Gasquet and Julien Benneteau won their respective quarter-final matches and will now meet in an all-French semi-final.

Gasquet defeated Italian Potito Starace 6-3 7-6 (9-7) while Benneteau needed more than two hours to overcome Argentinian qualifier Leonardo Mayer 6-4 6-7 6-0.