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Superb Safin stuns Roddick in quarters
Melbourne, Jan 28: Agassi and Henin-Hardenne through to semis of Australian Open tennis but Roddick loses to Safin.
Melbourne, Jan 28: Agassi and Henin-Hardenne through to semis of Australian Open tennis but Roddick loses to Safin.
Top seed Andy Roddick and Marat Safin collided head on at Melbourne Park on Tuesday (January 27) and after five riveting sets the American bounced off an impregnable wall of Russian brawn and out of the Australian Open. Safin's lowly world ranking of 86, due to a year of injuries, proved irrelevant as he won their quarter-final meeting 2-6 6-3 7-5 6-7 6-4.
"Thank you everyone," the popular Russian grinned to the crowd on his 24th birthday. "Thanks for all your support." World number one Roddick was stunned. "He played well, he played great tonight...I have to just suck it up and give credit to him," he said.
Safin's reward is a semi-final against Andre Agassi after a groin strain to his French opponent Sebastien Grosjean had earlier allowed the defending champion to advance with the score at 6-2 2-0.
Although Safin is a former world number one and reached the final here in 2002, his victory over U.S. Open champion and top seed Roddick ranks as the upset of the tournament so far.
Safin has said he wants to finish the year ranked number one, but he has been very much an unknown quantity since missing much of last year.
On Tuesday his ability and power was there for all to see. "I started to miss tennis actually, that's why I'm playing so good," he said. "But I'm back now, that's the most important thing."
That fact will not be lost on Roddick who appeared stunned by the defeat and left the court with cheers for Safin ringing in his ears.
"I actually think I was lucky to win the fourth set but was better in the fifth," Roddick said. "He just took his chances and that was the difference.
"People think of Marat and they think he is temperamental, and he is those things...but he wants to win, he is out there trying as hard as he can."
Agassi's progress was far less noteworthy, a factor he freely acknowledged. "You know, it's not a good way for anything to end," said the fourth seed after extending his unbeaten run at Melbourne Park to 26 matches.
"I would have preferred to finish the match, no question. You just don't want any match to end that way."
Men's singles results (prefix number denotes seeding) Quarter-finals Marat Safin (Russia) beat 1-Andy Roddick (U.S.) 2-6 6-3 7-5 6-7 (0-7) 6-4 4-Andre Agassi (U.S.) beat 9-Sebastien Grosjean (France) 6-2 2-0 retired
Bureau Report
Top seed Andy Roddick and Marat Safin collided head on at Melbourne Park on Tuesday (January 27) and after five riveting sets the American bounced off an impregnable wall of Russian brawn and out of the Australian Open. Safin's lowly world ranking of 86, due to a year of injuries, proved irrelevant as he won their quarter-final meeting 2-6 6-3 7-5 6-7 6-4.
"Thank you everyone," the popular Russian grinned to the crowd on his 24th birthday. "Thanks for all your support." World number one Roddick was stunned. "He played well, he played great tonight...I have to just suck it up and give credit to him," he said.
Safin's reward is a semi-final against Andre Agassi after a groin strain to his French opponent Sebastien Grosjean had earlier allowed the defending champion to advance with the score at 6-2 2-0.
Although Safin is a former world number one and reached the final here in 2002, his victory over U.S. Open champion and top seed Roddick ranks as the upset of the tournament so far.
Safin has said he wants to finish the year ranked number one, but he has been very much an unknown quantity since missing much of last year.
On Tuesday his ability and power was there for all to see. "I started to miss tennis actually, that's why I'm playing so good," he said. "But I'm back now, that's the most important thing."
That fact will not be lost on Roddick who appeared stunned by the defeat and left the court with cheers for Safin ringing in his ears.
"I actually think I was lucky to win the fourth set but was better in the fifth," Roddick said. "He just took his chances and that was the difference.
"People think of Marat and they think he is temperamental, and he is those things...but he wants to win, he is out there trying as hard as he can."
Agassi's progress was far less noteworthy, a factor he freely acknowledged. "You know, it's not a good way for anything to end," said the fourth seed after extending his unbeaten run at Melbourne Park to 26 matches.
"I would have preferred to finish the match, no question. You just don't want any match to end that way."
Men's singles results (prefix number denotes seeding) Quarter-finals Marat Safin (Russia) beat 1-Andy Roddick (U.S.) 2-6 6-3 7-5 6-7 (0-7) 6-4 4-Andre Agassi (U.S.) beat 9-Sebastien Grosjean (France) 6-2 2-0 retired
Bureau Report