BEIJING, 17 September 2004 — Russian Marat Safin, desperate to break a trophy drought dating back nearly two years, yesterday laid down a challenge by winning two matches to reach the quarterfinals of the 500,000-dollar China Open.
After missing much of 2003 with a wrist problem and beginning well last January in Melbourne, the 24-year-old’s game has tailed off.
But the colorful Russian said that he was ready to fight hard in a bid to end his embarrassing personal drought. “I really want to break through, any time, any place, I don’t care where,” he said after defeating Alex Bogomolov 6-4, 7-5 and China’s Lu Hao 6-2, 6-2 as the inaugural edition of the event got caught up after two days of rain.
Safin, who won his 29th and 30th matches of the season, will today play for the semifinals against American outsider Kevin Kim. The little known world No. 143 broke organizer’s hearts with his 6-4, 6-4 second-round defeat of Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero.
The unexpected exit of the second seed followed just over 12 hours after the ouster of tournament number one Carlos Moya, a fellow Spaniard.
Like Safin, Argentine David Nalbandian also did double duty on court yesterday, defeating Dane Kristian Pless 7-6 (7 5), 3-6, 6-3 and then overcoming Taipei’s Lu Yen-Hsun 6-7 (6 8), 6-4, 6-4.
German Rainer Schuetter joined the seeded exodus as the No. 4 was defeated by Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 7-6 (7 4), 6-1 in the second round. Popular Thai sixth seed Paradorn Srichaphan held off Israeli Noam Okun 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8 6) while Finn Jarkko Nieminen continued a comeback from a wrist injury by upsetting seventh-seeded American Taylor Dent 6-3, 7-5.
The rank outsider who knocked out Moya, French qualifier Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, was unable to work any more upset magic and crumbled 7-6 (9 7), 6-3 against Korean Lee Hyung-taik.
Brazil’s Mello Ousts Fish at Delray Beach
In Delray Beach, Florida, Ricardo Mello of Brazil rallied to oust second-seeded American Mardy Fish 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 Wednesday in the second-round of the $380,000 Millennium International tennis tournament.
Mello, who upset seeded Juan Ignacio Chela in the first round of the US Open, moved into the quarterfinals, where he will face Jerome Golmard.
In a battle of Frenchmen, Golmard breezed to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Sebastien DeChaunac, who eliminated eighth seed Radek Stepanek in the first round of this hardcourt event.
The only other seed in action was No. 3 Mario Ancic of Croatia, who routed qualifier Amer Delic of the United States 6-1, 6-3. Ancic is the only seed still alive in the bottom half of the 32-player draw.
His next foe is Kenneth Carlsen of Denmark, who rallied past Bjorn Phau of Germany 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.
Carlsen beat sixth seed Cyril Saulnier of France in the opening round.
In the final first-round match on Wednesday, Jeff Salzenstein outlasted Marco Chiudinelli of Switzerland 7-5, 6-7 (4 7), 6-2. Salzenstein will face fellow American Paul Goldstein in one of four second-round matches Thursday.
Early Exit for Myskina in Bali
In Bali, top seed and French Open champion Anastasia Myskina wilted early on at the Wismilak International, falling in the second round to Maria Elena Camerin 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 yesterday.
World No. 2 Myskina followed up her second-round exit at the US Open with a below-par performance against the Italian ranked 59 places below her.
However US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova went some way to restoring Russian pride with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Australian Samantha Stosur to reach the quarterfinals. Second seed Kuznetsova was never really stretched by Stosur, although the qualifier, ranked 86 in the world, broke first to lead 2-1. A winning return put 19-year-old Kuznetsova back on level terms at 3-3, and she then forced an error to break for the set. Stosur again broke first in the second set, going 1-0 up when Kuznetsova double-faulted.
The Russian broke back for 2-2 and then failed to convert a break point at 4-3 but closed out on her fourth match point when Stosur double-faulted for the sixth time.
Kuznetsova will play Angelique Widjaja in the quarter-finals after the Indonesian wildcard beat Anca Barna of Germany 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
Clijsters and Hewitt to Tie the Knot in February
Tennis love match Kim Clijsters of Belgium and Australian Lleyton Hewitt are to marry next February in Australia. Clijsters, 21, said on her website that a party for their close friends would be held in Chateau Saint-Paul at Lummen in her native Belgium after the wedding in Australia.
