Pffffeeeww!

Marat Safin is playing in his final tournament of his career this week. The grand-slam winner was slated to play French qualifier Thierry Ascione, who is the current world no. 168, in the first round. This should have been a walk in the park for him, but this is Safin we are talking about after all.

The match looked like it was going to be another routine win for Safin. He was up a set and tied at 3-3, and it would be only a matter of time before he broke the Frenchman again for the win. Safin’s serve began to fail him and then errors crept into his game. Ascione, instead, broke the Russian in the tenth game of the second set to even the match at a set apiece.

In the third set, both men stayed on serve, but then Safin faced three match points on his serve at 4-5. He was able to fight off the Frenchman’s advances to even the set. After the scare, the Russian seemed to get his act back together and held serve again to take the match to a tiebreaker.

Safin was all business in the tiebreaker and was able to close out the match. He ended up winning 6-4 4-6 7-6(3) after 112 minutes of play. He now advances to play Juan Martin del Potro in the next round, in what could be his final match of his career. The two players have surprisingly never met in ATP competition. It was be a challenge for the big Russian, but no one more than Safin is capable of surprising the young Argentine. It should be a good matchup.

Monday’s Results
Singles First Round
Andreas Seppi (ITA) def. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-3 6-3
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) def. Pablo Cuevas (URU) 7-6(3) 6-4
Tomas Berdych (CZE) def. Q Vincent Millot (FRA) 6-3 7-6(4)
Q Lukasz Kubot (POL) def. Andreas Beck (GER) 6-4 3-6 6-4
Viktor Troicki (SRB) def. Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) 7-6(4) 3-0 ret. (right calf)
Albert Montanes (ESP) def. Victor Hanescu (ROU) 3-6 6-3 7-6(3)
John Isner (USA) def. Q Alejandro Falla (COL) 4-6 7-6(10) 7-5 - saved 3 M.P.
WC Marat Safin (RUS) def. Q Thierry Ascione (FRA) 6-4 4-6 7-6(3) - saved 3 M.P.
Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) def. WC Sebastien Grosjean (FRA) 7-6(2) 6-4

Doubles First Round
S. Aspelin (SWE)/P. Hanley (AUS) def. J. Chardy (FRA)/G. Simon (FRA) 6-4 3-6 10-7
WC A. Clement (FRA)/M. Llodra (FRA) def. J. Levinsky (CZE)/F. Polasek (SVK) 3-6 6-1 10-4
J. Benneteau (FRA)/J. Tsonga (FRA) def. J. Coetzee (RSA)/M. Melo (BRA) 6-3 6-4

Tuesday’s Order of Play

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(Image: AP)