Sports Week: August 2 - 8

Marcos Baghdatis and former Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian will vie for the Washington Classic championship after winning their semi-finals in straight sets Saturday.

Marcos Baghdatis and former Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian will vie for the Washington Classic championship after winning their semi-finals in straight sets Saturday.

Baghdatis blended some timely serving with his tiebreak artistry to ease past Xavier Malisse 6-2 7-6, while Nalbandian, playing in his first tournament since April, routed fourth seed Marin Cilic 6-2 6-2 in 73 minutes.

Sunday's championship will mark the first final in the United States for both players, with eighth seed Baghdatis holding a 3-1 edge against the unseeded Nalbandian.

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"He's a good player," Argentine Nalbandian said of Baghdatis. "We know each other. We have a pretty similar game from the baseline. I have to keep believing in my game.

"I'm playing very good right now."

Croat Cilic broke Nalbandian's serve to open the match but started spraying his shots and dropped the first set before many of the fans were able to find their seats.

Nalbandian, a 2002 finalist at the All England Club who has been sidelined for much of the year with a hamstring injury, converted five of eight break-points to defeat Cilic for the second time in two meetings.

The difference was Nalbandian's brilliant return of serve, according to Cilic.

"I could count on my hand the number of returns he missed from the backhand side," he said. "He was really, really good. Consistent. He was putting a lot of pressure on me."

"I couldn't get any free points."

Text: Reuters

Image: AP