0
MONTE CARLO, April 16: Sixth seed Marat Safin reeled off nine games in a row and rode his luck to beat Spain’s Tommy Robredo 4-6 6-3 6-2 and win a match in the Monte Carlo Masters for the first time ever.
With a record of three first-round defeats from three visits to the principality, a red-faced and frustrated Safin looked to be heading for the exit once again when he trailed the gritty baseliner 6-4 3-0 on centre court.
But the former world number one never lost faith and, against a glistening Mediterranean backdrop, hauled his way back into the match for a hard-fought victory to end his run of Monegasque misery.
Safin was joined in the second round by second seed Juan Carlos Ferrero who put an indifferent start to the year behind him by walloping fellow Spaniard Albert Portas 6-2 6-2.
Another Chilean, Marcelo Rios, was not so stretched, however. The former world number one crushed France’s Fabrice Santoro 6-3 6-2 with little bother.
Thirteenth seed Alex Corretja also advanced, beating American Jan-Michael Gambill 7-5 7-6.
All eyes were on Safin at the Monte Carlo Country Club as he went looking for his maiden win.
But Robredo, named Tommy after The Who’s rock opera of the same name, played like a spin-ball wizard in the opening set to run rough shod over the sixth seed.
The dynamic baseliner pummelled his way through Safin’s defences with searing top-spin forehands to take the set 6-4.
The Spaniard then jumped into a 3-0 lead in the second set before Safin could register another game.
Having done that, though, Safin went on a spree, levelling the match and streaking into a 3-0 lead in the decider.
Robredo refused to fold but appeared increasingly lightweight against the Russian’s might.
The Spaniard managed to hold for 3-1 and for 4-2 but there was no stopping Safin.
The Russian went from strength to strength, diving around the court for acrobatic volleys and leaving his white shirt coated in red clay.
He broke Robredo one final time in the eighth game of the decider to sew up victory 6-2 in two hours 15 minutes.
RESULTS (first round):
First round results:
Carlos Moya (Spain) beat 1-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) 6-4 6-3; 15-Younes El Aynaoui (Morocco) beat Agustin Calleri (Argentina) 6-3 6-4; 9-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Mariano Zabaleta (Argentina) 7-6 (7-2) 6-4; 13-Alex Corretja (Spain) beat Jan-Michael Gambill (U.S.) 7-5 7-6 (7-5); 10-Andy Roddick (U.S.) beat Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (9-7); Michel Kratochvil (Switzerland) beat Max Mirnyi (Belarus) 0-6 6-3 6-4; Marcelo Rios (Chile) beat Fabrice Santoro (France) 6-3 6-2; 6-Marat Safin (Russia) beat Tommy Robredo (Spain) 4-6 6-3 6-2; Nicolas Massu (Chile) beat Davide Sanguinetti (Italy) 5-7 6-0 6-3; 2-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) beat Albert Portas (Spain) 6-2 6-2; Dominik Hrbaty (Slovakia) beat Andreas Vinciguerra (Sweden) 6-4 6-4
CHARLESTON: Nathalie Dechy and Meilen Tu caused the first upsets in the opening round of the Family Circle Cup Monday when they posted victories over seeded players at the clay court event.
Monday’s results:
First round: Nathalie Dechy (France) beat 14-Lisa Raymond (US) 2-6, 6-2, 6-3; Meilen Tu (US) beat 15-Tatiana Panova (Russia) 6-3, 6-4; Jill Craybas (US) beat Lilia Osterloh (US) 6-2, 6-0; Amy Frazier (US) beat Julia Vakulenko (Ukraine) 6-4, 6-2; Iva Majoli (Croatia) beat Vianka Lamade (Germany) 7-5, 6-3; Anastasia Myskina (Russia) beat Gala Leon Garcia (Spain) 6-2, 6-3; Alexandra Fusai (France) beat Nicole Pratt (Australia) 6-4, 6-1; Marie-Gaianeh Mikaelian (Switzerland) beat 17-Francesca Shiavone (Italy) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5; Marta Marrero (Spain) beat Adriana Serra Zanetti (Italy) 6-1, 6-1; Elena Likhovtseva (Russia) beat Antonella Serra Zanetti (Italy) 6-3 6-2; Jennifer Hopkins (US) beat Emmanuelle Gagliardi (Switzerland) 6-7 (1-7), 6-2, 6-1; Clarisa Fernandez (Argentina) beat Henrieta Nagyova (Slovakia) 4-6, 6-4, 6-0; Anna Smashnova (Israel) beat Greta Arn (Germany) 6-2, 6-0.—Reuters
