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HAMBURG (Germany), May 19: Roger Federer gave Marat Safin a dose of his own medicine Sunday, destroying the powerful Russian 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 to win the Hamburg Masters.
Safin, so often the perpetrator of one-sided thrashings, was left shell-shocked by the Swiss 11th seed’s superior strength on the Rothenbaum centre court.
The victory was a first Masters Series triumph for Federer and earned him $372,000. It also ensured Federer will begin next week ranked number two in the ATP Champions’ Race with 299 points, just one behind Safin.
Safin, a former world number one with two Masters titles and a US Open crown to his name, went into the title match as a strong favourite but Federer clearly had other ideas.
Hitting clean winners down the lines from both sides, the pony-tailed Swiss kept sixth seed Safin lunging in vain throughout the first set which he clinched 6-1 before Safin had warmed up.
Breaks in the first and fifth games left the Russian trailing the second set 5-1 and he faced two set points as Federer could not miss.
The Russian saved both with full-blooded forehands before taking the advantage with a lightly-flighted backhand volley.
A booming serve fired down from his full 1.93-metre frame stopped the rot as he held to win only his third game of the match.
Buoyed up by the minor victory, Safin dug in. He repelled the red-shirted Federer’s bullet-like groundstrokes and reached his first break point after 66 minutes of the match.
Although a weak lob helped Federer to save that, two points later he did finally get the breakthrough to claw his way back to 5-3 down.
Red-faced and frustrated, Safin watched as Federer belted his best efforts back past him, blunted his serve and broke again for a two-set lead.
Safin, runner-up here to Gustavo Kuerten in 2000, was powerless against the marauding Swiss who was quicker across the Rothenbaum clay, more accurate and stronger.
Federer was a first-round loser on his two previous appearances in the tournament in 2000 and 2001 but could barely put a foot wrong this year.
He held serve to open the third set before breaking again.
The Swiss held to nose ahead 4-3 but was pegged back 4-4 with victory in sight.
Another held service game put Federer within sight of his first Masters title and when Safin spooned a forehand long on the second match point he faced, the 20-year-old Federer secured his third career title in a match lasting just over two hours.
ROME: Serena Williams won the first claycourt title of her career Sunday when she took revenge on Justine Henin with a hard-fought 7-6, 6-4 victory in Italian Open final.
Williams, who lost to Henin a week ago at the German Open, bounced around the court in delight after sealing her triumph, punching her fist towards her sister Venus and mother Oracene in the stands.
Williams had to work hard for her win, though, needing six set points to put Henin away in the first set, which took an hour and nine minutes.
Henin saved three set points at 4-5 down and two more in the tiebreaker before a netted backhand from the Belgian finally gave Williams the advantage.
The second set was just as close, with Williams breaking for a 4-3 lead before being pegged back.
The third break of serve in a row decided matters, however, giving Williams the chance to serve for the title.
It was the 14th title of the 20 year-old’s career and will boost her confidence ahead of the French Open starting a week Monday.—Reuters
