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By PAUL MALONE
January 22, 2002
RUSSIAN firebrand Marat Safin last night slapped a down-payment
on an Australian Open birthday present for himself when he calmed
himself down in time to inflict a four-set defeat of Pete Sampras.
Safin played cyclonic tennis for two-and-a-half sets and regained
concentration lost over a series of linecall disputes to fend
off a game Sampras 6-2 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (10-8) in a scintillating
fourth set tiebreak.
The Russian, who turns 22 on men's singles final day on Sunday,
is the only man in the quarter-final lineup to have won a Grand
Slam title from the eight who started out at Melbourne Park
a week earlier.
After leaving the Open favourite helpless for much of a testy
and engrossing match, the biggest concern for Safin now is that
he has to hold his form and temperament for three more matches
to win his second major title.
When an aggrieved Safin dropped his racquet to the ground in
a fourth set whinge over a correct linecall, umpire Jorge Dias
said: "You have to stop complaining."
The moody Russian had earlier been fined ($US1000) for telling
umpire Norm Chryst he was "f... in the head" in a
Saturday tantrum.
Both players aired repeated grievances over linecalls and Sampras
had traded sharp, angry words with a spectator who had chipped
the American when he had sought an overrule when down 2-4 in
the second set.
Dias called out to Sampras during his retort to the spectator,
urging him to resume the match.
The 194cm Safin's quarter-final opponent is South African veteran
Wayne Ferriera, ranked 59th.
It was a mighty effort by Sampras, 30, in view of the seven
hours and 51 minutes it had taken him to win his first three
matches, including his five-set win over Nicolas Escude on Saturday
night.
Sampras will rue a break point he could not convert at 5-all
in the fourth set, when he had control of a searching rally
and blew a forehand over the sideline.
With both players on edge, with justification, at some of the
linecalls, the dual Australian Open champion netted a forehand
volley when he led 4-2 in the fourth set tiebreak.
Safin saved two set points held by Sampras in the tiebreak with
deep backhands of extraordinary composure.
On his second match point, the Russian stretched wide for a
forehand passing shot and sunk to the court in ecstasy.
Broken in his first two service games and treated for blisters
on both feet, Sampras must have felt he was trapped in a re-run
of Safin's astonishing win in their 2000 US Open final.
Summoning himself for one last hell-for-leather net assault
when Safin had been a service break ahead at 4-3 in the third
set, Sampras broke the Russian's serve for the first time.
As Safin's first serve percentage dipped to a perilous 40 percent,
his growing nervousness was clear when he argued heatedly with
Dias over a linecall as Sampras edge a third set tiebreak.
A week after Andre Agassi, one half of the the great double
act of American men's tennis, departed Melbourne amid doubts
whether he would play another Australian Open, similar concerns
will pursue his greatest rival.
Swiss youngster Roger Federer, who had been second favourite
behind Sampras at the start of another dramatic day of men's
matches, was beaten 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 3-6 6-4 8-6 by German Tommy
Haas, seeded seventh and the highest-ranked player left in contention.
Five years after Sampras won his last Grand Slam title away
from Wimbledon, he was left to devote his next five months to
a bid for an eighth title at All England club пїЅ the only surface
now forgiving enough on his body to give him a realistic chance.
Later Safin lauded Sampras's fighting abilities.
"It was a great comeback from Pete. I was all the time
under pressure, but I deserved to win," Safin said.
Safin made light of his outburts against Dias and the linespeople.
"It's a game. Everyobody has to understand everybody wants
to win," he said.
"Pete is discussing his points. I think it's normal."
Sampras said Safin could be "a little fragile mentally",
but he has a lot of talent and power.
"The crowd helped get me into the match and I was one point
away from taking it into a fifth set. I was maybe a bit conservative
on a forehand on one of the (fourth set) points," he said.
theaustralian.news.com.au
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