By Nemanja Bjedov
MARCOS Baghdatis beat Japanese qualifier Go Soeda 6-4 6-3 6-1 in the opening round of the US Open on Wednesday in New York.
The 28-year-old Cypriot needed just over an hour and a half to see off Soeda, who dropped only one set throughout the qualifiers.
Baghdatis was on fire against the Japanese as he hit 16 aces on his way to a confidence-boosting win.
Their match on Court 11 was completed just minutes before play was suspended on all courts due to rain and lightning in the area.
The world No.53 Cypriot will next face either 17th seed Kevin Anderson of South Africa or Germany’s Daniel Brands in the second round.
Baghdatis has never reached the third round at Flushing Meadows in seven attempts, recording four first round exits and three second round eliminations, including last season’s loss to Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov.
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