round. Baghdatis made a second-round appearance at the Open 13 tournament in Marseille, losing to eventual champion Michaël Llodra. He then appeared at the Dubai Championships, but came into the tournament with stomach cramps (due to food poisoning). Despite the handicap, he courageously beat No. 8 seed Gilles Simon, 7–6, 6–4, in the opening round. After a day of rest, he gained a victory over Somdev Devvarman in the second round. In the quarterfinals, he defeated Michael Berrer in straight sets. In the semifinals, after being a set and a break up, he lost a frustrating match against No. 2 seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic, 7–6, 3–6, 4–6. He played at the Indian Wells Masters, as the 27th seed. After receiving a bye in the first round, he beat Arnaud Clément in the second round. In the third round, he went on to capture his biggest win to date, stunning world No. 1 and top seed Roger Federer in three sets, while saving three match points. By beating Federer for the first time in his career, he reversed a six-match losing streak. However, in the fourth round, he was unable to recuperate in time, losing to Tommy Robredo, despite coming into the match with a 3–0 head-to-head lifetime against Robredo. At the Miami Open after receiving a bye in the first round, he beat Juan Ignacio Chela in the second round. In the third round, he lost to seventh seed Marin Čilić in straight sets. Baghdatis had a disappointing start to the clay-court season, being eliminated in the first rounds of both the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Rome Masters by Albert Montañés and Ernests Gulbis, respectively. He next played in the BMW Open, where he was seeded fifth. In the first round, he won against German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk in three sets. In the second round, he took on Marco Chiudinelli, beating the Swiss in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, the 2007 champion and fourth seed Philipp Kohlschreiber stood in the way, but with some superb serving, Baghdatis eliminated the home favorite in two sets. For a spot in the final, Baghdatis took on first seed Marin Čilić. Despite taking the first set, Baghdatis was unable to close out the match, eventually losing in three erratic sets. He then made a quarterfinal appearance at the Open de Nice Côte d'Azur as the fifth seed, where he was upset by