Baghdatis Outguns Nadal

© Getty ImagesMarcos Baghdatis is chasing his first appearance in an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final.

Marcos Baghdatis fired 18 aces to claim his first win in seven career meetings with ATP World Tour No. 1 Rafael Nadal Friday night to reach the Cincinnati semi-finals. But his path to the final won't get any easier as the Cypriot faces three-time Cincinnati champion Roger Federer, who has won 20 of his past 22 matches at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters.

Baghdatis, who has reached the semi-final stage of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event just once before (Paris 2007), won a stunning 87 percent of points on his first serve, including 30 of his first 32 first serves.

"I was serving pretty big," he said. "Basically I took my chances; other times I played him I had chances and I didn't take them... I was more aggressive.  I know that Rafa will not give me the match, so I had to go and take it.

"Break point at the end, he made a double fault because the whole match I was putting so much pressure. So he felt the pressure."

Baghdatis issued an early challenge to Nadal, firing six aces in his first two service games and earning break points in the fifth and ninth games, converting when Nadal uncharacteristically made back-to-back horror backhand errors when under no pressure.

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Nadal, who double faulted to drop serve in the ninth game of the third set, was far from his best and will need to retool ahead of the US Open, where he will attempt to win a third consecutive major and complete a career Grand Slam.

Baghdatis, who recently reunited with former coach Guillaume Peyre, was ranked No. 109 this time last year and lost in the first round of Cincinnati qualifying. After reaching the Washington final earlier this month, the Cypriot broke back into the Top 20 for the first time in more than two years.

In March, the former Australian Open finalist saved three match points in a 5-7, 7-5, 76(4) win over then-No. 1 Federer in the third round at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells.

Nadal, who struggled most of the night to find his range on the backhand and made more than 40 unforced errors, said: "It's true I had unforced errors, but the positive thing is I finish the tournament better than I started... He played well. I think his serve was very good today. Just congratulate him. He's very good person, and it's very positive for our sport. I am happy for him. He had injuries and he came back, and now he's playing well again.

"My game can improve, that's for sure. Must improve if I really want to have chances to have some opportunity in New York."