Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis may face Federer in championship

Maria Sharapova had harsh words for headline writers.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Look at what happens when Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Marat Safin don't show up because of injuries, and Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt lose in the early rounds.
Top-ranked Roger Federer went from strong favorite to an overwhelming choice to win the Australian Open title when his closest contender lost Thursday to an excitable 20-year-old from Cyprus.
If Federer defeats 21st-seeded Nicolas Kiefer in today's other semifinal, he'll face former junior world champion Marcos Baghdatis in Sunday's championship match.
Rallies
Baghdatis rallied to oust fourth-seeded David Nalbandian 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, winning 17 of the last 21 points and enduring a break for a late storm when he was three points from winning.
"Everything is first time here: getting to the quarters was the first time, getting to the semis was the first time, getting to the final -- I hope it continues," said Baghdatis, who had many Australians of Greek heritage, all dressed in blue, chanting for him inside Rod Laver Arena.
Nalbandian, the Masters Cup champion and 2002 Wimbledon finalist, is the last man -- and one of only four in 2005 -- to beat Federer.
Baghdatis aims to be the next.
"I believe it, my coach believe it, the guys I work with believe, my parents believe it," said Baghdatis, ranked 54th. "I have worked for that ... I'm very proud of myself ... it's been amazing."
The women's finalists were determined Thursday, with eighth-seeded Justine Henin-Hardenne and No. 3 Amelie Mauresmo winning semifinal matches.
Limps off
Kim Clijsters, who ensured she'll replace Lindsay Davenport at No. 1 in the new rankings when she defeated Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals, limped off with an injured right ankle while trailing Mauresmo 5-7, 6-2, 3-2 and 15-love.
Clijsters left Melbourne Park in a wheelchair, and she will be sidelined at least two months after tearing a ligament in the ankle.
Her fellow Belgian, Henin-Hardenne, extended her Australian Open winning streak to 13 matches by ousting 2004 Wimbledon winner Maria Sharapova 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. Henin-Hardenne, who had missed two months beginning late last year with hamstring problems, will be seeking a fifth major title.
Sharapova, who had missed two months with an injured shoulder, said she'd done better than expected and had a pointed message for critics who say she chokes in tight situations. Sharapova also lost in the semis at three majors in 2005.
"Take your note pads, take your pencils, take your grunt-o-meters down, the fashion police, put everything away and just watch the match from the fans' perspective," she said.
Headline predictions
"I know I'm going to be seeing headlines: 'Maria can't get past the semis' and 'Maria can't finish it off in the third' but take all that away and just look at the tennis that we both played."
Baghdatis produced some stunning shots -- chasing into the corners, stepping into serves and racing to the net to hit 52 winners and only 41 errors. Nalbandian had four fewer winners and 15 more unforced errors.
Baghdatis' winning streak includes victories here over No. 2 Roddick and No. 7 Ivan Ljubicic. Against Nalbandian, he rallied from two sets down and then twice from service breaks in the fifth set.
"I just didn't think -- I was in my own world," said Baghdatis, who lost to Federer in the fourth round last year at the Australian Open.
Nalbandian, who said he had abdominal muscle pain that affected his serve, was left almost speechless by the loss.
"I got a lot of chances to win the match," he said. "I can't understand how I missed that opportunity."
Embraced
Melbourne has embraced Baghdatis, whose idiosyncratic between-the-legs ball bounce before each serve and wide, uncontrolled grins have endeared him to fans. And Australia's southern port city has one of the highest concentrations of Greeks of any city outside Athens.
Baghdatis got slow claps, fast claps, loud chants and piercing whistles from sections of people in blue soccer jerseys waving Greek and Cypriot flags. A dozen bare-chested young men, with shirts slung over their shoulders and scarves around their heads, linked arms and danced, singing in Greek: "Lift up the cup ... win in Melbourne o-e, o-e."
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