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Safin blasts Davydenko out of Kremlin Cup
Published: 22 October, 2009, 11:10
Marat Safin (AFP Photo / Dmitry Kostyukov)
Former World No.1 Marat Safin had to come from a set down to defeat top seed Nikolay Davydenko in an all-Russian duel in the first round of the Kremlin Cup.
Davydenko had been in sparkling form, returning to the Russian capital after winning the Shanghai Masters last weekend. And he continued to show great tennis in the first set, which he won 6-4.
But Safin, who is retiring at the end of this season and, making his last appearance before the Moscow crowd, came back strongly in the second. He broke Davydenko at 5-4 to take the set 6-4.
And the 29-year-old was in the driver’s seat in the decider, storming his rival 6-2.
“My matches against Nikolay are a sort of a litmus test for me – they help me to find out what shape I am in. This time around I could run up to his balls and play actively. I also attacked his second serve and Nikolay got nervous and began to make errors as a result. Maybe he didn’t have time to adapt to the court, that’s why he played one-dimensionally,” Marat Safin told the Kremlin Cup official website after the game.
Davydenko, for his part, wished his friend and teammate in the Davis Cup the best of luck.
During his 13-year career, Marat Safin has won 15 tournaments, including two Grand Slams – the US Open 2000 and Australian Open 2005. He held the No.1 ATP ranking for 9 weeks in 2000.
He also won the Davis cup with the Russian team in 2002 and 2006.
“I really want Marat to win the Kremlin Cup,” Davydenko said, but added that he doesn’t share Safin’s thoughts of retirement.
“As for me, I don’t want to quit at 29. But I think Marat knows when his time to leave is. So there are some serious reasons for that. I’d like to wish him luck,” Davydenko, who is 28 years old, said.
Next up for Safin is another Russian, Evgeny Korolev, who got the better of his countryman, and the defending champ, Igor Kunitsyn.
19.10.2009, 21:29
Russia's biggest tennis tournament kicks off in MoscowA plethora of big names have descended on Moscow for the annual Kremlin Cup, Russia’s most prestigious tennis tournament. |
23.10.2009, 12:17
Safin bids farewell to Moscow crowdFormer World No. 1 Marat Safin, who retires at the end of the season, has played his last tennis match in front of the Moscow public, after losing in the second round of the Kremlin Cup. |
