Saturday, May 28, 2005
Lindsay Davenport is the only American, male or female, still in the event.
PARIS (AP) -- Cap backward, his dialogue with himself rarely pausing, Marat Safin negotiated around danger once more in his zigzag path through the French Open for a shot at a second straight Grand Slam title.
He didn't break a racket or even throw one. He kept his cursing to a mild mutter.
"It's a one-man conversation," he said. "Nobody's answering, which is good."
Down in each of the first two sets and thrashed in the third, the Russian escaped each time by calling on his full range of shots -- serves in the 120 mph range; punishing, two-fisted backhands; exquisite touch for a big man on lobs and drops; and more volleys than in the past -- to post a 7-6 (5), 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (2) victory Saturday over 2003 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain.
"It was a great match, I will remember it, I will get it on video," said Safin, who spent much of his youth in Spain and still trains there part of the year. "A few years ago we were newcomers. Now we are 25 and we have spent a lot of time here. It's becoming a classic between us."
Squeezed into background
The third-seeded Safin, reaching the round of 16 along with last year's runner-up and No. 8 seed Guillermo Coria, has been squeezed into the background the first week of the tournament by No. 1 Roger Federer's bid for a career Grand Slam and 18-year-old phenom Rafael Nadal's quest for a title in his French debut.
But the immensely talented, if sometimes tempestuous 6-foot-4 Safin should not be overlooked as he tries to add the French title to the Australian he won in January when he beat Federer in the semis and Lleyton Hewitt in the final, and the U.S. Open he won in 2000 when he downed Pete Sampras in a straight-sets final.
In a woman's third-rounder, No. 3 Amelie Mauresmo broke French fans' hearts, double-faulting on match point and losing 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to No. 29 Ana Ivanovic, a 17-year-old from Serbia-Montenegro.
Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne, the 2003 champion, won her 20th consecutive match, all on clay, when she beat Anabel Medina Garrigues 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to set up a meeting with reigning U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, a 6-1, 2-6, 6-0 victory over American Marissa Irvin. Top-ranked Lindsay Davenport is the only remaining American, male or female, among the 22 who entered the tournament.
Sharapova wins easily
No. 2 Maria Sharapova, trying to overtake Davenport for the No. 1 ranking and win the French for the first time, beat fellow 18-year-old Russian Anna Chakvetadze 6-1, 6-4. Two other Russian women also advanced -- No. 7 Nadia Petrova and No. 12 Elena Bovina. Sharapova will next play unseeded Nuria Llagostera Vives, who upset No. 13 Nathalie Dechy of France, 7-6 (1), 6-3.
Safin and Ferrero have known each other since they were 14, practicing together at times, then playing against each other in the juniors. As pros, they've now split 10 matches. Each has been No. 1 in the rankings briefly and each has had ups and down because of injuries and illnesses.