Fiery Djokovic fends off Baghdatis

Novak Djokovic survived a second-set wobble as he reached the fourth round of Wimbledon with a thrilling victory over spirited challenger Marcos Baghdatis on Centre Court.

The second seed started off in the same way he had beaten his first two opponents, reeling off some clinical tennis before gaining a vital break to win the first set.

The Serbian then lost his way in the second, smashing his racquet in anger as Baghdatis hit back in style to take the second set – the first Djokovic had lost in the tournament.

That proved only to be a blip, however, as Djokovic regained his composure to win the match 6-4 4-6 6-3 6-4 and set up a last-16 clash with 16th seed Michael Llodra.

Djokovic had looked in imperious form on the way to round three, but it was clear from the start of today's encounter that he would face much stern opposition in former semi-finalist Baghdatis.

Baghdatis fired down two early aces as both players traded blows in front of a bumper crowd on a glorious afternoon.

With the score at 1-1 in the first, the Cypriot wowed the crowd with a cheeky slice, but Djokovic looked strong on his serve and both players held well whilst keeping the fans happy with a number of rallies.

The underdog took Djokovic’s service game to 30 before going long twice, leaving him serving to stay in the set at 5-4 down.

Djokovic planted a forehand into the net on set point, but the error went unpunished as Baghdatis fired over the baseline to lose the first set.

Despite such an assured first-set display, Djokovic then lost control, conceding two break points at the start of the second.

Baghdatis failed to take either point, but Djokovic made an even more criminal error when he failed to take four break points in the following game.

The Belgrade-born player was made to pay for the mistake as Baghdatis claimed a vital break and then took hold of the set.

Djokovic, clearly upset at his sudden dip, lost his concentration and sulked around the court.

His frustration became clear in the eighth game of the second set when, after losing a rally, he broke his racquet after slamming it into the turf repeatedly.

He received a warning for the outburst and went on to lose the set after Baghdatis clinched it with an unstoppable 124mph ace.

Baghdatis lapped up the attention of the crowd, who had taken a liking to him for his brave and dynamic performance against a man who had begun the year with an amazing 41-match unbeaten streak.

A broad smile stretched across his face as he held serve to make it 1-1 in the third set, but Djokovic had regained focus and set about dismantling his opponent.

At the second time of asking, Djokovic broke the 26-year-old after he netted a forehand.

The two-time grand slam winner clenched his fist with joy served out to take the third set 6-3 to put himself within sight of victory.

A couple of brutal serves meant the Cypriot rescued two break points at the start of the fourth but it was clear that Djokovic was edging towards a vital break.

It came in the fifth game when Baghdatis struck the net to give Djokovic a 3-2 lead.

Shouts of “We love you Marcos!” rang out, but Baghdatis could not deliver as he battled to stay in the set on Djokovic’s serve, squandering two break points before hitting the net to send the world number two through.