Popular Cypriot and Australian Open 2006 finalist Marcos Baghdatis has come from two sets down to defeat Spaniard David Ferrer in a gripping match at Hisense Arena on Thursday.

In a four-hour contest, Baghdatis overcame a sluggish start and some untimely cramps late in the final set to outlast the 17th-seeded Spaniard, winning 4-6 3-6 7-6(4) 6-3 6-1.

The beginning of the match was characterised by long rallies, with both players choosing to ease into the contest slowly. At 3-3, the seventh game became a battle of wills. After facing break points, Ferrer eventually held, but when Baghdatis held to love in the next game the momentum started to shift in the Cypriot’s favour.

A successful challenge in the eighth game for Baghdatis brought up two break points, but Ferrer withstood the onslaught, holding serve to make it 4-4 with the set looking headed for a tie-breaker.

When Ferrer broke serve and snatched the set 6-4, seemingly against the tide, it sent murmurs through the pro-Baghdatis crowd.

“In the beginning of the match I had a lot of chances to break him. I think I was the best one on the court. I didn’t take any chances, and he did at 5-4. He took the set,” Baghdatis said.

Three serves around the 200km/h mark and an early break for Baghdatis in the second set sent the crowd into a frenzy, but they were hushed again when Ferrer broke in the next game.

With the Cypriot serving and trailing 4-3, poor shot selection at 15-30 brought up two break points that the Spaniard converted on the second attempt. Ferrer served out the second set 6-3 before quickly taking a 2-0 lead in the third set.

A frustrated Baghdatis bashed his racquet on the ground before the third set, and it seemed to spark him into action as he took it to a tie-break. He stole an early lead before Ferrer saved two set points, but the Spaniard then handed Baghdatis the set with a forehand that sailed over the baseline.

Winning the third set to stay in the match seemed to be just the tonic the Cypriot needed. He took an early break in the fourth set and never looked back, sealing it 6-3 with a superb forehand winner down the line.

Baghdatis then finished in a flurry, breaking the Spaniard’s serve twice in the final set. As he prepared to serve out the match, the world No. 31 was temporarily floored by painful cramps, but was able to hold on and take the contest on his second match point.

“It was great coming back. I’m a bit tired. I had five matches in Sydney. Mentally it was tough today. I was a bit tired,” he said.

His third-round opponent will be the winner of Thursday afternoon’s clash between Australian Lleyton Hewitt and American Donald Young. It was at Australian Open 2008 when Baghdatis and Hewitt played a memorable five-set clash at Rod Laver Arena at the same stage of the tournament, a match won by Hewitt at 4.30am.

“I don’t want to talk about that. You know, I’m very happy I won today. I’ll just, you know, don’t think about Lleyton for today. I’ll start thinking about him tomorrow and the day after. I have time,” he said.