PARIS, 29 May 2005 — Marat Safin kept his cool in the scorching heat to beat Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-6, 7-5, 1-6 7-6 in a thrilling contest yesterday and reach the last 16 of the French Open.
Australian Open champion Safin, who has a reputation for losing his temper and sometimes his game, remained composed to win the third-round match after three hours and 45 minutes of superb tennis.
“I think the crowd should get a video cassette of this match because it was a classic,” third-seeded Safin said as he left the court with sweat dripping off his face.
The athletic Russian, a favorite with the Paris crowd since reaching the fourth round here on his debut as a qualifier in 1998, trailed Spaniard Ferrero in every set but never gave up.
The 15,000 fans packing the sun-drenched centre court on another glorious day in the French capital cheered him on until he earned four match points with a brilliant backhand winner and converted the first with a forehand smash.
There was bitter disappointment for the same crowd in the next match when world number three Amelie Mauresmo again cracked under pressure at her home event as gifted newcomer Ana Ivanovic of Serbia and Montenegro beat her 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
Third seed Mauresmo, who has never got past the quarterfinals in 11 appearances at Roland Garros, looked nervous while 17-year-old Ivanovic confirmed she would be one to watch.
“Of course it’s disappointing, but there was a fight and she’s the one who made it through,” said Mauresmo, who had prepared for her campaign with Yannick Noah, the last Frenchman to win the French Open, in 1983.
“I had some bad matches here but I don’t think it was the case today,” added the Frenchwoman, who bowed out with a double fault on match point.
“She gave me a lot of trouble and played great tennis. I’ll try again next year.”
Ferrero, the 2003 champion but only the 32nd seed this year after a frustrating spell, had his chances against Safin but the Russian, who served close to perfection and remained patient during the rallies, never let go.
Safin, who had complained about a sore left knee after his previous match but seemed to move effortlessly yesterday, will meet Tommy Robredo of Spain for a place in the quarterfinals.
Robredo, the 15th seed, advanced by crushing fellow Spaniard David Sanchez 6-4 6-3 6-1. If he beats Robredo, Safin could then face a quarterfinal against last year’s runner-up, Guillermo Coria.
The eighth-seeded Argentine, who squandered a two-set lead to compatriot Gaston Gaudio in last year’s final, needed less than two hours to brush aside Austrian Juergen Melzer 6-1, 6-1, 7-6.
On a fine day for Russia, second seed Maria Sharapova needed just 74 minutes to sweep aside compatriot Anna Chakvetadze 6-1, 6-4 before she could head for the shade.
Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne, seeded 10th, also advanced but had to sweat it out for over two hours before moving past Spanish baseliner Anabel Medina Garrigues 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Wimbledon champion Sharapova, chasing a second grand slam crown as well as the world No. 1 spot, meets Spain’s Nuria Llagostera Vives, who upset 13th seed Nathalie Dechy of France 7-6, 6-3.
Henin-Hardenne, the 2003 champion, will face tougher opposition for a place in the quarterfinals when she meets US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Russian Kuznetsova, seeded sixth, recovered from a lapse of concentration in the second set to beat American Marissa Irvin 6-1, 2-6, 6-0.
Irvin’s defeat means Lindsay Davenport, the top seed, is the only American left in either singles draw. The 18-year-old Sharapova said she expected more challenging matches in the second week.
“It’s going to be a lot tougher than it is right now,” she said. “I know that as the matches go on I have to raise my level another notch.”
