GRITTY CUSTOMER: Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus made a remarkable comeback against David Nalbandian to enter the final. — Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

MELBOURNE: Unseeded Marcos Baghdatis extended his remarkable run at the Australian Open, rallying to beat No. 4 David Nalbandian 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday and reach the final.

With the crowd screaming support, the 54th-ranked Baghdatis guaranteed that he would more than double his career winnings. He will play the winner of Friday's semifinal between top-seeded Roger Federer and No. 21 Nicolas Kiefer.

Baghdatis, a former world junior champion from Cyprus, was serving for the match at 15-15 when rain began pouring down, forcing organisers to close the roof on Rod Laver Arena.

After workers towelled off the surface, the 20-year-old Baghdatis missed his first matchpoint on a backhand that was ruled long. Nalbandian hit a forehand into the net to set up a second chance, and Baghdatis finished it off with his 15th ace, dropping to his knees and bowing his head.

``Just amazing,'' said Baghdatis, who hadn't made it past the fourth round of his first five Grand Slam events. ``I have to wake up. Everything was going in. I was just in my own world I think,'' he said.

On the women's side, second-seeded Kim Clijsters had to quit during her semifinal against No. 3 Amelie Mauresmo after spraining her right ankle. Mauresmo, seeking her first Grand Slam title, will face eighth-seeded Justine Henin-Hardenne, who beat Maria Sharapova, on Saturday.

Riot of blue and white

The stadium was awash in blue-and-white — looking more like Greece's national day than Australia's — in support of Baghdatis. The dozens of chanting fans who showed up for every one of his matches had plenty of company this time in a city with a large Greek population.

Baghdatis broke Nalbandian, the reigning Masters Cup champion and 2002 Wimbledon runner-up, early in the first set before the Argentine started ripping winners from both sides. Nalbandian jumped ahead by a set and 5-1 in the second before Baghdatis started rallying.

The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers as he tied it at 5-5. He was serving at 15-40 in the next game when holiday fireworks started thundering nearby. The startled Baghdatis hit a forehand crosscourt winner before twisting his ankle while losing the next point and the game.

Unlike Clijsters, Baghdatis bounced up quickly. Nalbandian held serve to take the set, but Baghdatis continued to claw back, seemingly oblivious to the pressure, soccer kicking a ball eight times at one point.

He survived an early break to take the third set and broke Nalbandian for the only time that he needed in the fourth, holding serve the rest of the way.

The never-say-die Baghdatis, with his infectious smile and quirky service routine of using his racket to bounce the ball once between his legs each time, rallied twice from service breaks in the fifth set. The umpire had to repeatedly ask the delirious crowd to be quiet.

Serving at 4-4, Nalbandian double-faulted, then committed three straight errors to give Baghdatis his eighth service break. Baghdatis held serve for the match.

Ankle injury

U.S. Open champion Clijsters, who will rise to No. 1 when the new rankings come out next week, turned her ankle in the third set, bringing an abrupt end to a match that looked to be heading to a tense conclusion.

Mauresmo was leading 5-7, 6-2, 3-2 and 15-love when Clijsters hobbled to the net and withdrew. That ended the prospect of an all-Belgian final with Henin-Hardenne, who is seeking a fifth Grand Slam singles title.

Henin-Hardenne extended her Melbourne Park winning streak to 13 matches by ousting No. 4 Maria Sharapova 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.

``It's a shame it had to happen,'' Clijsters said before heading to a hospital for medical scans. ``I think it was going to be a close one.''

Clijsters already was suffering from hip and back pain and had trouble with her left hamstring from compensating. ``A very strange way to finish a match,'' Mauresmo said. ``We had such a great battle ... it's a little bit of an unfinished match, but that's the way it is sometimes.''

Henin-Hardenne beat Clijsters in the final here in 2004 but was sidelined by injuries last year. She won the Sydney International on January 13, coming back after two months out with a hamstring injury, and is 10-0 this season.

Back after a long time

Mauresmo has not returned to a Grand Slam final since Martina Hingis beat her here in 1999. She finally managed a breakthrough win at the season-ending WTA Championship last November.

``I can (hardly) remember I made the final here,'' Mauresmo joked. ``For all those years, I've been working hard, adjusting a few things here and there to try to do my best.''

With the roof closed due to a return of Melbourne's recent heat wave, Henin-Hardenne and Sharapova produced outstanding defensive pickups and strong, clean winners.

This Australian Open combination marks the first time since computer rankings were introduced in 1975 that four former No. 1-ranked women reached the semifinals at a Grand Slam event. — AP

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