MONACO, 24 April 2004 — Marat Safin reached the semifinals of the Monte Carlo Masters for the first time by overpowering Alberto Martin 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 yesterday. His reward for a forceful performance is a match against Guillermo Coria after the third-seeded Argentine, runner-up here last year, beat compatriot David Nalbandian 6-4, 6-3 in a tight contest. “The score may look easy but it was a complicated match,” Coria said.
In the bottom half of the draw, fourth seed Rainer Schuettler wasted no time dismissing a lightweight Tim Henman, the burly German hammering the sixth-seeded Briton 6-3, 6-1 in just 62 minutes. Henman put the defeat down to fatigue and Schuettler knows he will have a much harder task today when he lines up opposite Spain’s Carlos Moya, who ousted Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko 6-4, 7-6.
“Against Tim, it was not far from the perfect match,” the German said. “I served well, I returned well, I put him under a lot of pressure. Now it’s Moya. We played seven times, but never on clay. I guess it’s his favourite surface but I have nothing to lose.”
Moya certainly will not take Schuettler lightly. “He must be playing very well,” the Spanish fifth seed said. “I respect him a lot. Maybe his favorite surface isn’t clay but still he has the game and he can play well here. I hope my experience on clay will help me win this match but still, it’s gonna be tough.”
Safin had been a strong favorite heading into his last-eight clash, having won all five previous matches against Martin, and did not disappoint. “I wanted to finish the match quickly in the second set and that is when I started to make some mistakes,” Safin said. “But then in the third set I got my confidence back and that was it.”
US Open champion in 2000, Safin was playing his first quarterfinal at a Masters Series event since Bercy in 2002. He missed much of last season through injury but returned to the circuit in fine fashion this year, reaching the Australian Open final.
Now ranked 25th in the world, Safin knows he must play at his best against Coria. “I played more aggressive, attacking players earlier in the tournament, now I am facing the real claycourt specialists,” he said. “It is not easy to change your game to do this. But I will try. Today was the first real claycourt test. I am happy I came through. But Coria will be really tough.”
US Favorite Against Slovenia in Fed Cup
The United States, with Venus Williams and Martina Navratilova on board, are strong favorites to beat Slovenia in the Fed Cup first round in the seaside resort of Portoroz this weekend. Zina Garrison, in her first tie as US team captain, will send out Williams and Lisa Raymond in the singles to face Slovenia’s Tina Pisnik and Katarina Srebotnik on red clay.
“I’ve probably played Katarina twice and Tina only once and I could say all the matches were reasonably easy,” Williams told Slovenian national radio. “Everything has been going well, the preparations and training. I am ready. It’s now or never, but it’s going to be now.” Serena, Venus’s younger sister, withdrew from the squad because she was worried about her knee injury.
In today’s opening matches Pisnik will face Raymond followed by Srebotnik against former world No. 1 Williams.
The US have won the Fed Cup a record 17 times but not since 2000. Navratilova, 47, will partner Raymond in the doubles against Srebotnik and Tina Krizan. “There is no pressure on us as the Americans are red hot favourites,” said Pisnik, ranked 32nd in the world.
Slovenia’s captain Mima Jausovec said she was confident her players would give their all. “We’ve had some good training over the last week with the junior men’s team to adjust to fast balls. We will play aggressively in every match to win,” she said.
Clijsters Returns to Action With Fed Cup Duties
World No. 2 Kim Clijsters returns after a five-week absence to spearhead Belgium’s first round Fed Cup tie against Croatia in Bree, Belgium, at the weekend. Clijsters, who was forced onto the sidelines with a left wrist injury, meets Jelena Kostanic today and Karolina Sprem tomorrow on the indoor clay surface here.
Clijsters’ compatriot and world No. 1 Justine Henin-Hardenne has elected not to play as she tries to shrug off a health scare of her own. Henin-Hardenne withdrew from last week’s Family Circle Cup in South Carolina, where she was defending champion, complaining of low blood sugar which was causing lightheadedness.
“I have felt bad for two weeks now and that’s enough,” Henin-Hardenne said. “I will now go back home and do everything I have to do in order to get better.” Clijsters is assisted by Kirsten Flipkens and Else Callens, with Iva Majoli the third member of the Croatia side.
