The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Safin defeats Davydenko

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 01, 2006

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Safin defeats Davydenko

DUBAI: Marat Safin returned to the ATP Tour after six months out with a career-threatening knee injury with an outstanding win over World No. 5 Nickolay Davydenko in the first round of the Dubai Open on Tuesday. The former World No. 1 from Russia beat his compatriot 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 despite having felt ``lost'' in the first set after such a long absence from competition.

It was not until the second game of the second set that Safin began timing his groundstrokes with the characteristically devastating flat-hitting which has won him two Grand Slam titles. But after that he controlled the match, revealed immense desire to survive, and, perhaps most important of all, ended the encounter without any evident discomfort to the troublesome joint.

Swift execution

Meanwhile, former champion Martina Hingis made a successful return to Doha in breezing past Mashona Washington 6-1, 6-2 in 46 minutes at the Qatar Open on Monday.

Hingis, two months into her comeback following a three-year retirement, was playing her first match in Doha since she won the inaugural final in 2001.

She was broken in the first game by Washington, then won the next eight.

Both the seeds in action on Monday lost; No. 7 Elena Likhovtseva, fell to Italy's Roberta Vinci 6-4, 6-4, and No. 8 Jelena Jankovic was beaten by Germany's Julia Schruff 6-2, 7-5.

Important results: At Dubai (ATP Dubai Duty Free Open): Singles: Younes El Aynaoui bt Wesley Moodie 6-4, 6-4; Marat Safin bt Nikolay Davydenko 4-6, 6-2, 6-2; Tim Henman bt Feliciano Lopez 6-2, 7-6(6); Olivier Rochus bt Fabrice Santoro; Andre Agassi bt Greg Rusedski 7-6(4), 6-0.

Doubles: Martin Damm & Leander Paes bt Igor Andreev & Nikolay Davydenko 7-6(4), 6-3.

At Doha (WTA Qatar Total Open): Martina Hingis bt Mashona Washington 6-1, 6-2; Li Na bt Vera Zvonareva 6-4, 6-4; Julia Schruff bt Jelena Jankovic 6-2, 7-5; Roberta Vinci bt Elena Likhovtseva 6-4, 6-4.

At Scottsdale (ATP Tennis Channel Open): Lleyton Hewitt bt Florian Mayer 5-7, 6-2, 6-4; Jonas Bjorkman bt Gael Monfils 7-6(8), 6-3; Philipp Kohlschreiber bt Fernando Verdasco 6-7(9), 7-5, 6-2; Kenneth Carlsen bt Tomas Zib 6-4, 6-3; Xavier Malisse bt Max Mirnyi 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

At Mexico City (ATP & WTA Abierto Mexicano Telcel): Men: Gaston Gaudio bt Albert Portas 7-5, 6-2; Tomas Behrend bt Jiri Vanek 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-3; Carlos Moya bt Miguel Gallardo Valles 3-6, 6-4, 7-5l; Albert Montanes bt Juan Martin Del Potro6-2, 5-3 (retd.). Women: Anna-Lena Groenefeld bt Kristina Brandi 6-3, 3-6, 6-1; Catalina Castano bt Conchita Martinez 4-6, 6-2, 6-3; Katerina Bohmova bt Shinobu Asagoe 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.

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