The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Del Potro brings the curtain down on Safin’s career

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Del Potro brings the curtain down on Safin’s career

— PHOTO: AFP

END OF THE JOURNEY: Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro (right) ended Marat Safin’s career when he beat the Russian in the Paris Masters second round on Wednesday.

PARIS: The curtain fell on Marat Safin’s tempestuous tennis career when the Russian former World No. 1 lost 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to Juan Martin del Potro in the Paris Masters second round here on Wednesday.

Safin has decided to retire from the sport at the age of 29 and was unable to prolong his career despite warm encouragement from the crowd at the Bercy Arena, where he has previously tasted title success on three occasions.

“This day will stand out for a long time, until I pass into a different world,” Safin told the crowd during a post-match ceremony in which he was shown a video of his peers congratulating him on his career.

New vista

“This day will be where all the memories of my career will stay, all in one box. This day is special because I’m closing one door and hopefully opening another.”

Del Potro joins third seed Novak Djokovic in round three after the Serbian overcame Argentina’s Juan Monaco 6-3, 7-5.

“I didn’t feel that great on the court,” said Djokovic, who beat World No.1 Roger Federer in the Basel final on Sunday.

“It was probably a long week in Basel that affected that. But I got a victory and that’s what matters most. Generally speaking I’ve picked up great form in the last two months.”

Swedish ninth seed Robin Soderling kept alive his hopes of snatching a place at the ATP World Tour Finals in London defeating Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 7-6(6).

Soderling is one place outside the eight qualifying berths for the year-end event but needs to at least reach the final here to stand any chance of securing one of the last two available spots and will meet Russian Nikolay Davydenko, currently seventh in the race to London, in the next round.

Davydenko advances

On Tuesday, sixth seed Davydenko cruised past Germany’s Benjamin Becker 6-2, 6-1 at the Bercy Arena but seventh seed Fernando Verdasco was made to dig deep against Italian Andreas Seppi before eventually prevailing 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4.

French defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga remained in the hunt for a place at the November 22-29 event in the English capital with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Spain’s Albert Montanes.

Tsonga, who booked his place in last year’s Tour finals by winning here, took the first set in just under 22 minutes.

He encountered stiffer resistance in the second before grabbing the decisive break in the 11th game when Montanes double-faulted and went on to seal a 62-minute victory with a forehand winner.

Tsonga’s strategy

“I have to win the tournament to qualify, as long as Verdasco doesn’t make the final,” said Tsonga, the eighth seed.

“If I get to the final and Verdasco is there, I’ll try to win it anyway!” added Tsonga, who next plays compatriot Gilles Simon after he prevailed in three sets over Croatian Ivan Ljubicic.

The results:

Second round: Rafael Nadal bt Nicolas Almagro 3-6, 7-6 (2), 7-5; Juan Martin del Potro bt Marat Safin 6-4, 5-7, 6-4; Fernando Gonzalez bt John Isner 7-5, 7-6(3); Novak Djokovic bt Juan Monaco 6-3, 7-5; Robin Soderling bt Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 7-6(6); Gilles Simon bt Ivan Ljubicic 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(4); Jo-Wilfried Tsonga bt Albert Montanes 6-1, 7-5; Arnaud Clement bt Tommy Haas 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(8).

First round: Arnaud Clement bt Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-1; Julien Benneteau bt Philipp Petzschner 4-6, 7-5, 6-3; Juan Monaco bt Jeremy Chardy 7-6(6), 7-5. — Agencies

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