Marcos up next for Mario

The big serving Croat has improved throughout the tournament, after a nervous start in which he eventually edged out Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi in three sets. In the quarter-finals, he saw off Fabrice Santoro for the loss of just four games.

Baghdatis has it all to do against an opponent he has lost to in both of the pair's past meetings. The Cypriot, ranked number 17 in the world, is in only his second semi-final of the year, and on a surface that plays into the hands of Ancic, he will start as the underdog.

Wins against Philipp Kohlschreiber and Gert Vliegen show promise, though he will have to significantly up his game if he is to get the better of Ancic.