Safin survives stiff qualifiers in Paris

• Source: Global Times
• [08:35 November 11 2009]
• Comments

Marat Safin returns a ball to French Thierry Ascione during their match Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Former world No. 1 Marat Safin, in his final tournament before retiring, squeezed past French qualifier Thierry Ascione 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3) in a Paris Masters first-round match Tuesday.

The 29-year-old Safin, who has lifted the Paris Masters trophy three times but is without a tournament win since the 2005 Australian Open, saved three match points with aces at 5-4 down in the final set.

He eventually went on to take the tie-break with a forehand volley on the first match point to seal victory after an hour and 52 minutes of relatively dull tennis.

"The tennis I'm playing at the moment is not the best of my career," Safin said. "I always came here to win but this time, frankly, I don't think I can do that."

"I'll just try to finish on a high note and say goodbye to everybody."

One of the world's most spectacular players when on song, Safin faces a tough task in the second round against US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro.

He broke in the fifth game before winning the first set in 29 minutes.

The pair traded breaks early in the second before the Russian dropped his serve in the 10th game, losing the set by hitting a forehand long.

Both men looked equally clumsy in the deciding set until the unseeded Safin stepped up a gear in the closing stages.

In the other matches, former champion Tomas Berdych survived the first round with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) victory over French qualifier Vincent Millot.

Czech Berdych, who won the indoor event in 2005, made many unforced errors and struggled at times against an opponent ranked outside the top 200.

The 24-year-old No. 20, who recovered from 4-1 down in the second set to force a tie-break which he took 7-4 with an ace on match point, will be tested in the next round against Spaniard Tommy Robredo, seeded 14th in the final tournament of the regular season.

Croat Ivo Karlovic booked his place in the second round with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 win over Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas to set up a clash with ninth seed Robin Soderling, while Poland's Lucasz Kubot beat Germany's Andreas Beck 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

Beck's compatriot, Philipp Kohlschreiber was also sent crashing out of the tournament as he produced a lackluster display on his way to a 6-3, 6-3 defeat at the hands of Andreas Seppi of Italy.

Home favorite Sebastien Grosjean of France was defeated in straight sets by Croat Ivan Ljubicic 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.

Agencies