Marat Safin showed he is back to his best by
winning the China Open on Sunday, beating fellow Russian Mikhail Youzhny 7-6
(7-4) 7-5.
It was the first ATP title victory in two years for Safin, a former US Open
champion who has struggled since his injury-plagued 2003.
Seeded fifth, Safin made a slow start and lost his first service game.
He initially seemed puzzled by his younger countryman's varied shots.
But when earning a break point of his own at 3-4, Safin pounced - taking
advantage to level and he later cruised through the a tie-breaker with four aces
and five points in a row.
Safin also fell behind in his first service game of the second set, saving a
break point with yet another ace and ultimately winning the game.
Youzhny inexplicably crumbled at 5-5, losing his service game with a double
fault. Safin served out the match to win 7-5, slamming home an ace on the final
point.
Safin had been without a title since April 2002, when he won the Paris Indoor
Open.
But he sailed through the China Open, not losing a set - even while playing
five matches in four days after heavy rain postponed matches.
He said before the match he hoped experience would give him an edge over
Youzhny.
"I'm more experienced, a little bit older, and I've played more finals than
him - and that's the reason I want to win," Safin said.
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