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Post by safinbgfan on Aug 4, 2006 9:29:32 GMT 3
I`m sleeping....  |
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Post by kuniochi on Aug 4, 2006 9:32:59 GMT 3
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Post by kuniochi on Aug 4, 2006 9:38:23 GMT 3
Guess Who's Back? Safin Upsets Blake Marat Safin posted his biggest win in over five months as the former World No.1 Russian upset top seed James Blake 7-6(6), 7-6(5) at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington D.C.
The Russian, who had failed to win back-to-back matches in 10 of his 12 appearence in the season, defeated a top 5 player for the first time since the Masters Series Indian Wells in March when the ousted countryman Nikolay Davydenko in the third round.
Since winning the Australian Open in 2005, when he defeated then World No.1 Roger Federer in the semifinals and World No.3 Lleyton Hewitt in the final, Safin posted only four Top 10 wins: Guillermo Canas in Halle 2005; Davydenko in Dubai and Indian Wells in 2006; and Gaston Gaudio in Valencia 2006. With today's triumph he improved to 35-27 against Top 10 players since 2000.
Blake, who won the Indianapolis title two weeks ago, is currently the leader of the US Open Series tied with last week's Los Angeles champion Tommy Haas.
In today's match, Safin fired 10 aces and broke Blake in three of nine opportunities to seal the win after one hour and 53 minutes.
For a place in his second semifinal of the season he will battle South African Wesley Moodie, who defeated Kenneth Carlsen 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(6) in two hours and 54 minutes.
Moodie, who is in the quarterfinals of an ATP-level event for the first time in 2006, blasted 17 aces and won only six more points than Carlsen (125 to 119).
Lleyton Hewitt charged into the quarterfinals by breezing past Denis Gremelmayr 6-1, 6-4 in 61 minutes.
Hewitt, the 2004 Washington champion (d.Muller), has now won 14 of his last 16 matches. The Australian is bidding for his 26th career title. With his championship performance at London-Queen’s Club in June (d. Blake), Hewitt kept alive the streak of winning at least one title each season since he turned pro in 1998.
The former World No.1 will next take on Arnaud Clement for a spot in the semifinals.
Clement, who is now 14-14 this season, rolled past No.5 seed Dominik Hrbaty 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 14 minutes. The 28-year-old Frenchman, the winner in Marseille (d. Ancic), is seeking his fourth career title.
Hewitt holds an impressive 7-1 record against Clement with his only loss being a walk over in 's-Hertogenbosch in 2002. The Australian has won all five meetings on hard courts with the last one taking place in last year’s Australian Open first round.
American Mardy Fish also advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-1 win over qualifier Andrea Stoppini. The American, victorious at Houston this year (d. Melzer), has won 12 of his last 15 matches.
The 24-year-old, currently No.70 in the INDESIT ATP Ranking, has climbed 245 positions since the beginning of the season. For a spot in the semis he will battle Scot Andy Murray, a 7-5, 6-2 winner over Feliciano Lopez.
Murray, who improved to 2-0 under Brad Gilbert's guidance, won 88 percent of the points in his first serve and broke the Spaniard in three of 10 opportunities while never being broken. [/b][/color] from atp.com ;D ;D ;D Thank you all for the picz!!!! 
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ace
Junior Member
Posts: 58
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Post by ace on Aug 4, 2006 9:58:16 GMT 3
Here's an article from the Washington Post...Enjoy!
Safin Sends Blake Packing
Hewitt, Fish Also Advance at Legg
By Liz Clarke
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 4, 2006; E01
Washington's Legg Mason Tennis Classic has taken a pounding this week with marquee players Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick making early exits out of town and crowds thinned by oppressive heat. Thunderstorms ushered in a sorely needed cool front Thursday night but did little to turn the event's fortunes, as James Blake, the top seed and biggest draw remaining, fell to former world No. 1 Marat Safin, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5).
The featured center court match was halted by rain midway through the first set with the score knotted at three games each. Blake broke Safin's serve once play resumed after a 2-hour 16-minute delay, but went on to lose the opening set in a tiebreaker by spraying a running forehand approach shot wide.
Blake, the Legg Mason's 2002 champion and currently the top-ranked American, covered the court with remarkable foot speed and ripped multiple forehand winners that careened out of Safin's broad reach. But his backhand let him down repeatedly and he succumbed, despite the best efforts of a vocal, partisan crowd, to Safin's bigger game and steadier play.
It was the type of match that seemed more suited to a later stage of the tournament, but it was a consequence of Safin's slide down the world rankings. The Russian suffered ligament damage in his left knee last year and chose rest and rehabilitation over surgery. He arrived in Washington ranked a lowly 92nd. But he looms large, nonetheless, in the eyes of players who stand across the net from him.
Safin, after all, defeated Pete Sampras for the U.S. Open title in 2000 and finished that year ranked No. 1. He added a second Grand Slam title last year, winning the 2005 Australian Open.
But if it's possible to be a single, 26-year-old, 6-foot-4 Russian millionaire living in Monte Carlo, fluent in three languages, with two Grand Slam titles to his credit and still be searching for confidence, Safin fits the bill.
He is not a simple man, and he refuses to make his tennis simple. He sees the perfect shot in his head and is hell-bent on hitting that one, rather than a safer shot that might be enough to win the point. That's what makes his game so entertaining for fans and so dangerous to opponents.
Asked why he doesn't adopt more high-percentage tactics earlier in the week, Safin recoiled as if he'd been asked to sell his very soul.
"You cannot change your game; it's who you are," Safin said. "You cannot be anybody else. Even if you practiced it, it is something inside of you. You cannot change yourself; you cannot change you way of thinking. You cannot be any other person you would love to be. It's my game for good and my game for bad."
Against Blake, he was far more good than bad, firing 10 aces and playing the important points better than his opponent.
Neither was particularly steady in the second set, swapping service breaks as easily as forehands.
Blake reeled off three games after falling behind, 1-2, only to see Safin thunder back in the match.
Fans did their best to cheer Blake on. "This is your house!" shouted one spectator.
But Safin, with his eye on reclaiming his place in the game, had another idea.
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Post by lena on Aug 4, 2006 10:05:34 GMT 3
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Post by safinbgfan on Aug 4, 2006 10:13:53 GMT 3
When I saw the result for first time, I didn`t believe!!! But...it`s so great!!! ;D Congratulations,Marat!  You`re the best! |
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Post by sonya on Aug 4, 2006 10:26:54 GMT 3
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Post by alsl on Aug 4, 2006 10:41:46 GMT 3
THIS IS BIG!!! ;D ;DTHIS IS FANDABIDOOZIE!!! ;D ;D  ... DAMN RIGHT MARAT'S BACK! |
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Post by Annie on Aug 4, 2006 11:03:49 GMT 3
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Post by annie on Aug 4, 2006 11:12:28 GMT 3
this is most wonderful!!! congrats Marat!!! let's win two more!!!
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Post by iman on Aug 4, 2006 11:20:14 GMT 3
OH MY GOD! this has made my morning...and nothing can go wrong for me today!!!!
i banged my head on the ceiling when i read the score from jumping out of my seat!!!!
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Post by carole on Aug 4, 2006 11:36:43 GMT 3
I'm so happy !!!!!!!! Marat is back, for sure! Congrats Marat, you deserve it fully after all the tough times you've been through these months !
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Post by avalon on Aug 4, 2006 11:37:40 GMT 3
Yes, the universe has been conspiring against us for months, heck, nearly a year, but now, it seems all the stars and planets are aligned and it's Marat's time to shine. What a huge confidence boost for him [and us] just before the US Open. Got get 'em Marat. ;D  |
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Post by avalon on Aug 4, 2006 11:54:12 GMT 3
I come bearing goodies ;D ;D ;D ;D Thanks to veyonce from MTF for finding these I have had the stupidest smile on my face for the past 5 hours and counting LOL   Didn't someone, somewhere say Marat had a big, flat, square head??  I still love ya though |
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Post by avalon on Aug 4, 2006 11:59:30 GMT 3
I come bearing goodies ;D ;D ;D ;D Thanks to veyonce from MTF for finding these I have had the stupidest smile on my face for the past 5 hours and counting LOL  I love this one. "Marat, Marat, sign this", "Marat over here", "Marat I love you and want you babies", "Maraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat" hehehe ;D |
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"Why did it take you so long to come to the press conference?" 
You`re the best!
