From the AAP: Safin back and volatile as ever
The 2005 Australian Open champion Marat Safin reclaimed Rod Laver Arena last night, surviving a tense five-set first round clash to advance at Melbourne Park.
Safin, who missed out on defending his men's singles crown through injury last year, outlasted German Benjamin Becker 5-7 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-3 6-4...
In a see-sawing contest, Safin eventually took the whip-hand in the fifth game of the final set.
He broke Becker's serve after six deuces to break the German's heart and set up the victory.
is it just me or does everyone else just have something against becker for ending andre's career too? haha i dont know, i just cant stand him and i know its unfair but....
well anyways, im just glad safin came through....only six more matches :)
Posted by: safinisawesome | January 16, 2007 at 05:36 PM
I feel sorry for the guy. He reached the fourth round in his first US Open, and besides that news being eclipsed by his being unlucky enough to play against Agassi, now fanboys and fangirls hate Becker for simply playing his best and trying to win. A pro tennis player doing that! Unbelievable.
Short version: yes, it's just you.
Posted by: | January 16, 2007 at 10:14 PM
oh i didnt mean it in a bad way (yea i know it came off that way) but it's just that it seems that way and its really bad luck for the guy- you know, just because he had to play agassi that day and everything
hopefully he'll continue to get better and be known for something other than the guy who beat agassi in his last match
Posted by: safinisawesome | January 18, 2007 at 02:07 AM
i'm probably the only one to think this, but i was so happy that becker defeated agassi when he did. the media made a big enough deal about it. i can't imagine what it'd have been like if he made it to the semis or something.
and personally, i thought becker played great tennis. and that's what i'm all about...as long as the match is good fun, i don't make (too much of) a big deal about the winner or loser :D
Posted by: harini | January 20, 2007 at 03:02 PM
Ok, Lisen and Peacemaster, all this great stuff about Safin. Haven't you got just one nice word about Berdych? I would love to watch today's match against Tursunov. I am SO impressed with his run this AO. No one is saying a thing about him though. I wonder if he could be the dark horse this year. Does anyone know if this match is being broadcast on the net anywhere. (sob)
Posted by: Lisa | January 20, 2007 at 05:35 PM