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  • Wimbledon quarter-final: Safin vs Lopez

    7/2/08 12:03 AM | David Cox
    - There's an odd kind of symmetry about the way the top half of the draw is shaping up. Federer now faces Mario Anic, the last man to beat him at Wimbledon. In the semis he could play Marat Safin, the last man other than Nadal & Djokovic to defeat him at a slam.

    Of course there are still two great quarter-final matches to get through before we can start thinking about Federer-Safin. Feliciano Lopez will definately have something to say about that though the extent of his challenge depends on how much is left in the tank after Monday's epic against Baghdatis where he saved 3 match points.

    3 years ago Lopez lost at this stage to Lleyton Hewitt but Safin is the type of player who can be vulnerable to Lopez's leftie game. Just ask him. Back in 2005 he was driven to distraction and pulled all over one of the outside courts by the Spaniard's cleverly disguised serve and pounding forehands, going down 6-4, 7-6, 6-3, the sort of loss which led him to question his participation at the Championships. Safin is among a large list of players who've certainly benefitted from the ever-slower grass courts at SW19. It can be argued that the show courts in particular almost play like outdoor hard at times, Safin's best surface.

    Lopez has always had the edge over Safin, especially in big events. He leads their head-to-head 4-1 with wins in the 2004 Olympics (7-6, 6-3) and Miami 2007 (7-5, 7-6). Safin's sole triumph came indoors in Madrid 4 years ago.

    Safin is not used to coming second best in his family but he's been forced to take a back seat over the past month as sister Dinara Safina has stepped firmly into the spotlight. After Safina's 3rd round exit here, if Safin can make it a first Wimbledon semi-final, the attention will once more be firmly back on him.

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Comments

  • BernieEliza | 7/2/08 4:18 AM

    I think the symmetry is fantastic. I don't want to get my hopes up but it would be awesome to see Safin get through!

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