PERTH, Australia, 9 January 2004 — Marat Safin muscled his way past Jiri Novak 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 yesterday to give his Russian side victory in their Hopman Cup tie with the Czech Republic.
Anastasia Myskina had earlier nosed the Russians ahead with a 6-3, 7-6 win over the tournament’s surprise package Barbora Strycova, before Safin downed Novak.
But the 17-year-old Strycova and Novak still had a major part to play at the A$1 million ITF mixed team competition as their 3-6, 7-6 11-9 super tiebreak victory in the mixed doubles left Russia needing a clean sweep against the US today.
In fact, Safin and Myskina can now not afford to lose a set against Lindsay Davenport and James Blake if they are to pip the Americans into tomorrow’s final and a clash with Australia.
In later action, Australia lost 2-1 to Slovakia after Alicia Molik quit her singles and decided not to play in the mixed when she had a scare with an old foot injury.
Molik retired leading Daniela Hantuchova 6-3 3-0 when she felt the warning signs. Tournament director Paul McNamee said the player had decided to rest so she would be ready for tomorrow’s final.
However, Lleyton Hewitt continued his winning run this year by beating Karol Kucera 6-2, 6-7, 6-3.
Rusedski Rolled in Adelaide; Rafter Loses in Doubles Return
Greg Rusedski’s first tournament outing since September ended abruptly with a 6-2, 6-2 second-round thrashing at the hands of Frenchman Cyril Saulnier at the $380,000 AAPT Championships yesterday.
The 30-year-old Briton, who suffered through an injury plagued year in 2003, last played in the Davis Cup four months ago. He advanced in the first round at Memorial Drive with a victory against Swiss teenager Stanislas Wawrinka. Rusedski had only himself to blame.
Flying Finn Jarkko Nieminen, seeded sixth, reached the quarterfinals at the expense of Italian David Sanguinetti 7-6 (7-2), 6-4. Australian wunderkind Todd Reid continued his run of form, stopping Raemon Sluiter of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-2. Slovak Domink Hrbaty scored an upset on the Rebound Ace as he defeated seventh seed Alberto Martin of Spain 6-2, 6-3.
The brief doubles comeback of retired Australian hero Patrick Rafter ended in a three-set defeat alongside partner Josh eagle in the first round.
Suarez Marches On as Harkleroad Becomes Giantkiller in Auckland
Top seed Paola Suarez and defending champion Eleni Daniilidou, the only seeds left in the Auckland Classic women’s tennis tournament, set up a semifinal clash yesterday while American teenager Ashley Harkleroad loomed as the giantkiller.
Suarez, the world No. 14 from Argentina and who is yet to drop a set in the tournament, made short work of Kristina Brandi 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals, while Greek Daniilidou also had a straight sets win, beating 2001 champion Tu Meilen 7-5, 62.
The second semifinal will be between the unseeded Marion Bartoli of France and the 18-year-old Harkleroad.
In the rain-disrupted tournament, Harkleroad was forced to play two matches yesterday, starting by taking out second seed Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi 7-6 (9 7), 6-2 and then disposing of eighth seed Anca Barna of Germany 7-5, 5-3.
Grosjean Joins List of Desert Defeated
In Doha, France’s Sebastien Grosjean became the fourth leading player to be shown the exit door in a shock-ridden opening week of the new ATP Tour season at the $1 million Qatar Open yesterday.
The Frenchman followed world number one Andy Roddick, Rainer Schuettler and Mark Philippoussis out of the tournament losing 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 to unseeded Croatian Ivan Ljubicic in the quarterfinals.
Although Ljubicic is languishing outside the top 40, his heavy-hitting style has earned him some notable scalps in the Davis Cup and it took only six games here before he had Grosjean in trouble.
Ljubicic now plays Britain’s seventh-seeded Tim Henman who extended his unbeaten run with a 6-3, 6-1 win over US-based Armenian Sargis Sargsian.
Earlier, Swedish veteran Jonas Bjorkman, who had knocked out Roddick in the second round, was beaten by Argentina’s Agustin Callieri 6-3, 6-4. Callieri now faces French player Nicolas Escude in the last four. Escude, with a dashing serve and volley game, eased past Korea’s Hyung-Taik Lee 6-4, 6-2.
Moya Survives Goldstein Scare in Indian Open
In Madras, India, top seed Carlos Moya of Spain fought back from the brink against unheralded American Paul Goldstein to advance to the quarterfinals of the $400,000 ATP Indian Open yesterday.
The world number seven saved a match point in the second set before prevailing over Goldstein 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 after a 150-minute struggle on the centre court of the Nungambakkam stadium here.
Moya next plays Thierry Ascione of France, who came from behind to defeat Prakash Amritraj of India 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Ascione, who stunned sixth-seed Rafael Nadal of Spain in the first round, was slow off the blocks against Prakash, the son of former Indian Davis Cup captain Vijay Amritraj.
