The Hindu : Sport : Kiefer beats an error-prone Safin

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Wednesday, Aug 15, 2007
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Kiefer beats an error-prone Safin

Carlos Moya advances to the second round at Nalbandian’s expense

CINCINNATI: Former World No. 1 Marat Safin was dumped out in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters on Monday, beaten 6-3, 7-6(1) by German Nicolas Kiefer.

The Russian made too many unforced errors and Kiefer, still in the early stages of his comeback after a year out with a wrist injury, took advantage.

“It was just a bad day, that’s it,” Safin told reporters. “I couldn’t put the ball in the court at all. It wasn’t really a match.

“I’m not going to kill myself and feel bad for the next month and a half. It happened, but it’s not the match that I will remember for the rest of my life, so who cares. Play terribly and that’s it. Life moves on.”

“He’s a very tough guy to play against because he puts you under a lot of pressure and he’s a very strong person,” Kiefer said of the Russian.

“You never know with him, but today I think I played quite good tennis and was very, very smart. I served good, that was the key to the match.”

Czech tenth seed Tomas Berdych beat Benjamin Becker of Germany 6-3, 6-4, and 11th seed Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia recovered from a dreadful start to defeat American Amer Delic 1-6, 7-6(3), 6-3. Number 13 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia crushed Slovak Dominik Hrbaty 6-3, 6-1. Another former world number one, Carlos Moya, the 2002 champion, enjoyed a 7-6(4), 7-6(2) win over Argentine David Nalbandian to set up a clash with Serb Novak Djokovic, who won the Montreal Masters on Sunday.

Moya came from 3-0 down to win the opening set but the Spaniard let slip a 4-1 lead in the second before recovering to win a second tiebreak 7-2.

Safina rallies

Dinara Safina rallied from 4-1 and two breaks down to beat Camille Pin 7-6(9), 3-6, 7-5 in a Rogers Cup first-round match on Monday at Toronto.

All six seeds in action on the opening day won.

No. 10 Patty Schnyder got off to a strong start in her first Rogers Cup appearance in five years, dispatching Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 6-2.

Schnyder, from Switzerland, broke Medina Garrigues five times at the Rexall Centre at York University but said the match wasn’t as routine as the score might indicate.

Other players advancing Monday included 11th-seeded Shahar Peer of Israel, 12th-seeded Tatiana Golovin of France, 14th-seeded Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia, and 16th-seeded Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic.

Peer was relieved to edge Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands 7-5, 7-6 (7).

The results (first round):

At Cincinnati (Cincinnati Masters): Juan Ignacio Chela bt Tim Henman 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; Mikhail Youzhny bt Dominik Hrbaty 6-3, 6-1; Jurgen Melzer bt Ivo Karlovic 7-6(4), 7-6(2); Jarkko Nieminen bt Vince Spadea 6-2, 6-0; Nicolas Almagro bt Florian Mayer 7-6(5), 6-4; Carlos Moya bt David Nalbandian 7-6(4), 7-6(2); Fernando Verdasco bt Filippo Volandri 6-2, 6-2; Nicholas Kiefer bt Marat Safin 6-3, 7-6(1); Ivan Ljubicic bt Amer Delic 1-6, 7-6(3), 6-3; Tomas Berdych bt Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-4; David Ferrer bt John Isner 7-6(3), 6-3; Sam Querrey bt Marc Gicquel 7-5, 6-4.

At Toronto (WTA Rogers Cup): Dinara Safina bt Camille Pin 7-6(9), 3-6, 7-5; Patty Schnyder bt Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 6-2; Shahar Peer bt Michaella Krajicek 7-5, 7-6(7); Tatiana Golovin bt Julia Vakulenko 6-2, 6-1; Katarina Srebot nik bt Kateryna Bondarenko 5-7, 6-2, 6-2; Lucie Safarova bt Varvara Lepchenko 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-1; Roberta Vinci bt Nuria Llagostera Vives 6-0, 6-0; Francesca Schiavone bt Tamira Paszek 6-2, 2-6, 6-3; Peng Shuai bt Caroline Wozniacki 6-0, 6-7(4), 6-2; Tathiana Garbin bt Laura Granville 6-2, 6-0.

Flavia Pennetta bt Olga Poutchkova 6-3, 7-5; Yan Zi bt Severine Brémond 6-4, 6-0; Dominika Cibulkova bt Angelika Bachmann 6-2, 6-4. — Agencies

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