Help
10/21/09 6:11 PM | Ricky Dimon
Marat Safin comes back from set down to win a brutal first-round Kremlin Cup matchup with Nikolay Davydenko. Wednesday's victory sets up another all-Russian showdown between Safin and Evgeny Korolev.
It seemed like Nikolay Davydenko's Moscow fate was sealed before the week even began.
The world No. 6 had not only battle through a victorious but grueling Masters Series Shanghai, but he was also drawn to play two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin in the Kremlin Cup first round. Not surprisingly, that recipe was a disastrous one for Davydenko. Safin came back from a set down on Wednesday night to upend the top seed 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 after one hour and 56 minutes of entertaining tennis.
Safin earned the first chance in the fourth game of the evening, but Davydenko thwarted a break-point opportunity at 1-2, ad-out. Davydenko won the next two points for a tough service hold, and the near-miss seemed to affect the always-combustible Safin. The former world No. 1's lone poor service game of the opening set--coming in the next game at 2-2--ended up costing him. Davydenko consolidated his break the rest of the way, surviving one close service game at 3-2 before finishing off the set in style with an easy hold at 5-4.
Although Safin did not change any tactics in set two, he turned the tide by raising his level and going toe-to-toe with Davydenko from the baseline. It also helped the underdog's cause that Davydenko began to look sluggish, perhaps even favoring his knee. Nonetheless, the top seeded continued to play well and neither man saw a single break point until the 10th game of the set. Davydenko saved one set point at 4-5, 30-40 with a huge service winner, but Safin won the next two points--and the set--thanks to a pair of forehand errors by his opponent.
The world No. 76 continued to beat Davydenko at his own game in the third set, playing ruthless baseline tennis. Safin earned an early service and while that would be all he needed, he added another one to finish off the upset victory in style. Serving to stay in the proceedings at 2-5 Davydenko saved one match point with a service winner and another when Safin missed a backhand, but a forehand error by Davydenko on Safin's third chance finally ended it.
While Davydenko clearly was not at his best, it was by far one of Safin's best performances in an otherwise dismal year. Safin finished with 10 aces and just two double-faults while winning more than 70 percent of the points on both his first and second serve. He improves to 4-4 lifetime against Davydenko as heads into another all-Russian showdown against hard-hitting Evgeny Korolev.
Tell a friend »
LMAO!!!!!!!!
GOAT safin beats the nadal killer davydenko!!
this is truely hilarious.
proves my point how absolutely pathetic beyond belief nadal's loss to davydenko was!
im waiting for the day christoph rochus beats up nadal.
that would be just too funny!!!
retire nadal u mug, even a washed up hasbeen like safin can beat davydenko.
federer must be having the time of his life seeing nadal self destruct against these 2nd rate journeymen before his eyes while rogi cuddles his 2 cute baby girls and enjoy the number 1 ranking and his 15 slams!
its over nadal fans, it is all over!
23 years old and done and dusted, sad but true!
attackingtennisrulez , 10/21/09 7:35 PM
Well we know Davy has a tendency to give away a match here or there. Putin and the old boys might have had some big money on Safin today.
chr18 , 10/21/09 7:59 PM
attackingtennisrulez: yes, but then rafa beat marat in beijing, and now marat has beaten davydenko who beat rafa on sunday. your argument does not work. there is no player who has never lost a match. and using your "logic" (a term i use loosely here) every player is a washed up hasbeen as they're always gonna be beaten by someone else who's beaten someone else beforehand and so on
marat, when he wants to, can beat anyone he chooses to (with perhaps the exception of federer. and rafa as the h2h is 2-0 in rafa's favour). rather than jumping to conclusions that marat could have beaten rafa because he beat daydenko who beat him on sunday, i would just look at the h2h or results for last time they met
also: don't just come in here and spout utter rubbish that a 7 year old could come up with. it's pathetic
Sib69 , 10/21/09 8:07 PM
attackingtennisrulez: when was the last time Davydenko ever cared about a 250-point event
ps you need to find a hobby
RickyDimon , 10/21/09 8:37 PM
You don't seem to know that Rafa beat Safin 6:3 6:1 in Beijing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pack it in!
carrie , 10/21/09 8:49 PM
attackingtennisrulez, Is it over for Davy then, because he was beaten by Safin who was beaten by a no hoper Rafa in straight sets, inspite of just coming back from injury time out?
carrie , 10/21/09 8:56 PM
it's over for tennis, i guess!
RickyDimon , 10/21/09 9:32 PM
carrie: it's over for everyone who ever lost a match! :O
:P ;)
Sib69 , 10/21/09 9:53 PM
But ... but ... tennis was the winner today because Davydenko was the loser, right? ;-)
BTW, how many more Slams could Safin have won if he gave more of a crap more of the time? He cudda been THE MAN the first half of this decade.
SenorPlaid , 10/21/09 11:21 PM
I always liked Safin but what a hothead. At least he still has twice as many Slams as Djoker/Murray combined and he's the only guy got through Sampras in his prime and Fed in his prime to win each one.
chr18 , 10/22/09 2:48 AM
well well well... I am sure someone only keeps Rafa loosing record and ignore his winning record.... this is one of the definition of hate...
tettylds , 10/22/09 4:56 AM
"...federer must be having the time of his life seeing nadal self destruct against these 2nd rate journeymen before his eyes while rogi cuddles his 2 cute baby girls and enjoy the number 1 ranking and his 15 slams!..."
Not quite! He must be eating his heart out! How come these has beens beat Nadal while Federer can't? 13-7 head to head says it all.
Now go back to your hole!!!
phoenix , 10/22/09 9:14 AM
phoenix, what a gem!
carrie , 10/22/09 10:06 AM
wow, just wow!
u people are STILL delusional thinking that nadal is the nadal of 2008.
keep dreaming!
nadal wont win any masters series or slam next year, u heard it here first.
djokovic will be the man to beat on clay as he gained more experience this year.
without clay nadal has nothing to win.
i am a realist!
and to rickydimon, i have a hobby and i have a life, im just saying like it is.
we will see who is right in the end.
attackingtennisrulez , 10/22/09 11:52 AM
Hey atr, Mensa called, and it wants its membership back!
SenorPlaid , 10/22/09 3:14 PM
Attacker, if you had 1% of Rafa's talents you would be a millionaire now, with better things to do with your time than write rubbish about his prospects in tennis.
Do you know what Rafa is doing now, he is the star attraction at a pro-celebrity golf tournament, thronged by hundreds of admirers. He could not care less about your opinions of him, I'm guessing that you'll never ever get close enough to him to even wipe his shoes.
carrie , 10/22/09 3:51 PM
attacker, what wouldn't you give to be in Rafa's shoes. And if you think he sitting down with his head in his hands, here is what he's been up to:
Mallorca, 22 of October, 2009
Yesterday afternoon, Rafa Nadal was the most wanted "player" at the ?Club de Campo del Mediterráneo? in Spain.
The world number 2 participated in the Pro-Am Castello Masters Golf tournament where he teamed up with his good friend Sergio García, Alfredo Castelló and Tomeu Salva (Rafa?s best friend) for a day of laughter and jokes.
"Golf is one of my hobbies, and to play alongside Sergio García and my close friends is very nice, many thanks to Sergio for his invitation?, said Rafa at the event.
?As a golfer, practically everything that Sergio does makes me envious. Even the first time I played with him he left me amazed?, continued the champ before talking about his plans for the next couple of weeks: ?I have to play in Paris next, then London and the Davis Cup, so this week I'll be training?.
carrie , 10/22/09 4:00 PM
phoenix: thank you! you summed up what i was trying to say :D
Sib69 , 10/22/09 4:57 PM
Yay Marat! Show us some magic before you go!
stu , 10/22/09 8:50 PM
or not
RickyDimon , 10/22/09 9:15 PM
Poor 'attacking' fella, always seeking attention by talking about Nadal. This thread is obviously about Marat and Davy, why the need to bring out Nadal? Should I also bring out Fed, who by your logic, should have retired last year, after severely beaten in a Slam Final and winning only 4 games? Who also lost to Simon, Blake, Karlovic and whoever? Enough of your nonsense about Nadal, even if you are not sick of it, we are!
luckystar , 10/23/09 7:17 AM
I think this ?attack? guy loves Nadal so much. He keeps telling us what Nadal should do and what he shouldn?t do? I believe this guy is the real ?Nadal fangirl??
Ezorra , 10/23/09 8:10 AM
torres, why don't you come out? I'm 99% sure you are the attacker.
carrie , 10/23/09 9:56 AM
attacker keeps coming back because you guys are paying so much attention to it! How can you waste your time on rubbish?
ignore it!
homos , 10/23/09 2:05 PM
Welcome back Homos:)
alik , 10/23/09 3:27 PM
hi alik, thanks :) i've been around. just didn't want to post because some people on this site just repeat the same garbage over and over and over again. i like to discuss other aspects of tennis too but some fans go round in circles it gets too boring and repetitive and nasty. defeats the purpose, no?
homos , 10/24/09 3:38 AM
Scan QR code to access Unibet mobile.
Bet on Sports wherever you are and whenever you like, with Unibet's quick and simple mobile client you can place bets, check results and see live odds.
For more info about QR codes & scanners click here.
Contact us
/ About us
/ Cookies
/ Recommended links
/ Advertise
/ Sitemap
Tennistalk v1.5.0
Disclaimer © 2001-2012, Moneytainment Media Ltd - All rights reserved
Good performance from Marat although I gotta say I think Koyla went away during that third set. I hope Safin can keep up his performance and I really hope for him to win the Kremlin Cup...at least he can retire with one title, however small, for the year.
That being said, I am so going to miss him. ATP has gotten less interesting.
jyannis , 10/21/09 6:22 PM