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Bogdanovic wins battle of the Brits
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13 June 2007
Baker, ranked 247 in the world, edged the British number three 6-4 on Court One at Queen's Club with Andy Roddick awaiting the winner in the next round.
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Brit power: Bogdanovic returns against Baker today
Baker secured break point in the third game only to hit his return long, but the Scot's power from the baseline continued to cause Bogdanovic problems.
An ill-judged lofted shot proved his downfall in the sixth, however, with Bogdanovic upping the tempo and breaking his opponent with a well-placed forehand.
Baker rallied himself with cries of "come on" and his emotion paid off as he fired a stunning backhand down the line to break back immediately.
A packed Court One cheered on Baker and the Scot rewarded them by breaking in the ninth with another vicious forehand, before comfortably closing the set on his own serve.
Bogdanovic was struggling on his own serve and conceded another break point early in the second set but his opponent slipped and failed to recover.
Once again Baker was sporting words from his childhood "vision statement" on his left hand and the Glaswegian was clearly fired-up for today's domestic showdown.
He made the crucial breakthrough in the seventh, establishing break point with another booming back hand and taking a 4-3 lead when Bogdanovic followed up a thunderous serve by finding the net.
But the 20-year-old surrendered the initiative straight away, hitting long as Bogdanovic - ranked 117 in the world - made the most of some sloppy serving.
The tide was turning with Bogdanovic reaping the reward of his greater accuracy and Baker was forced to save four set points in a marathon 10th game before winning the exchange.
A tie-break was needed to separate the pair and this was settled when Bogdanovic forced Baker wide with his serve before striking the winner to take the set 7-6 (7-4).
Bogdanovic's accuracy had allowed him back into the match which was finely balanced in the early stages of the third set.
And a wide looping shot saw Baker broken in the seventh and Bogdanovic, who was playing with increasing authority, looked nailed on for victory.
He easily served out the eighth and then broke again without conceding a point, his backhand completing a 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 triumph.
Fourth seed Novak Djokovic came back from a set down to see off Robert Kendrick of the United States 3-6 6-3 6-2.
Kendrick needed treatment to his left knee after slipping midway through the second set and his movement was affected as a result.
Djokovic, who reached the semi-finals of the French Open and is ranked fourth in the world, has now set his sights on winning Wimbledon.
He said: "I have been asked if I see myself as a Grand Slam winner and the honest answer is I dream of it.
"My biggest dream is to win Wimbledon because it is the most traditional Grand Slam.
"There are a lot of expectations now because I'm a young player coming up, but I'm one of the most consistent players this year.
"I've played well on all surfaces and I'm coming to England with a lot of confidence."
Rafael Nadal, fresh from Sunday's heroics in the French Open final, beat Juan Martin del Porto of Argentina 6-4 6-4 on centre court.
The Spanish number one seed experienced stubborn resistance from Del Porto, ranked 59th in the world, but was never in danger in the second round showdown.
Nadal said: "I felt good today, better than last year. I got to the final last year at Wimbledon and that has given me a lot of confidence.
"I played a serious match and I'm feeling well. He started off serving well but I was always calm because I was winning most of the games easily.
"I always love this surface. If I am playing well I will have chances to have results on this surface."
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