Australian Open

[devilsrule33]

Just finished watching the Hewitt vs Roddick match. Some good stuff but Roddick just fell apart in the end.

Should be a good final. The two players that throw the most fits will go at it. Hopefully Hewitt wins for the home crowd.

Edited January 29, 2005 by devilsrule33

[Elias Sports Bureau]

Should be a good final. The two biggest players that throw the most fits will go at it. Hopefully Hewitt wins for the home crowd.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No way, let's go Saf!!!!

Third time's the charm, baybee!!

[Derek21]

Man, Roddick disappointed me. He came out serving great and blistering forehands and even getting the better on rallies for almost two sets.

But Hewitt started to turn the tide in the 2nd and lifted his game. As the match went on, he won more of the long rallies by digging out harder Roddick shots, which seemed to frustrate Andy. He started going for too much due to Hewitt's hustle and netted a lot of shots.

The turning point was obviously the second set tiebreak. When Hewitt won it, he wasn't going away. And in the third set, Andy got that early break after a Hewitt double fault and could have taken control but instead gave it right back with two straight doubles.

In the tiebreak, he netted a couple of more forehands and missed an easy second serve return on the backhand way wide. But the key point which told the story was when Hewitt served for the set up 6-4. Roddick hit three straight hard shots starting with a solid backhand and then two blistering forehands. But Hewitt got back the two forehands on the run. When Andy hit the second one and came in, he looked setup to win the point. But instead of expecting Hewitt to hit the backhand pass, Roddick wasn't ready to volley the shot. He just stood there and watched it sail by and reacted too late.

That is where Andy needs to get better. If he is set at the net and punches that, it's 5-6 and he gets two serves with a chance to get a set point.

Hewitt hustles his ass off. Even in games where it was 40-0 Roddick, he was running down balls and getting points. He never gives in. It's not his mentality. He has great determination and gets the most out of his talent. It's easy to appreciate that. He really wanted to win this match badly.

Roddick tried a long bathroom break between the third and fourth but it didn't even break Hewitt's concentration. Instead, he took the first three games and lost just four or five points. Andy's best chance to get back in it was down 3-1 when Hewitt gave him a break chance. But again, Hewitt's hustle won the point and forced a Roddick error. That was the story. After that, Roddick just wilted. It was sad to watch because of how talented he is. He once cameback from two sets down against Nalbandian in a great U.S. Open semi back in '03 when he won his only major. He should have drawn on that experience to stay in the match.

Instead, he let the elements bother him. The pro-Aussie crowd became a factor and so did some line calls. But both guys got screwed on those. The line calls have been extremely subpar in this tournament. It's more reason to push for shot-spot. This way the calls are gotten right and players aren't going nuts over it.

I believe Roddick has the talent and the fire to win. But until he gets tougher mentally, he's going to continue to struggle in these big matches. The one area he needs to work on is his net game. He can pin players to the baseline. If he gets into net more, he can finish off points. His footwork is also an issue. He can run down balls. But at times in long rallies, gets lazy. If he can fix that, I see no reason why he can't win another major this year.

The women's final is tonight in less than two hours. I would like to see Davenport win because she hasn't won a slam in a few years. But I agree with Brad Gilbert. He picked Serena to win 7-6, 6-4. That's what I see. Serena is playing very well and looks determined to prove the doubters wrong.

Hopefully, I'll be wrong and it will go three sets with it 11-9 in the third.

As for Hewitt against Safin, I admire both players. Hewitt for his feistiness and Safin for how talented he is. He's also been very business-like during this tourney. A great change for him that can help him win.

If Hewitt won, I think that would be great for his country. No Australian man has won since '76 before I was born. The last Aussie in the final was Pat Cash but he lost to Mats Wilander. Hewitt really wants it badly. He even kissed the court after the win over Roddick.

If Safin wins, I'd be happy for him. He has struggled with inconsistencies and injuries the past few years. But he showed some signs last year he'd be back and sure enough, here he is in a 2nd straight Australian Open final. If he can win his 2nd major, it's good for the sport. He has a great serve and groundstroke game. He really hits his shots with conviction and is also athletic at the net. He's got it all. It's just whether or not he can finally win his first slam since the '00 U.S. Open.

Should be fun to watch.

Edited January 29, 2005 by Derek21

[devilsrule33]

Hewitt is getting amazing support obviously but I always heard he was hated in Australia. He won some poll as the most hated Australian athlete. Maybe it is been so long since an Aussie won that they don't care as long as someone wins.

[Mighty Grendel]

Very quick womens final, can't have been much over an hour long. What on earth happened to Davenport's game, 9 games lost in a row?

[devilsrule33]

She fell apart. The final set had to be about 10-15 minutes.

[Elias Sports Bureau]

One, she didn't bow out of the doubles when it got to semis and finals.

Two, she had an injury going.

They're excuses, but they're good ones, and when Lindsay looks back on her tourney, I think she'll be able to live with it.

They're just wins and losses to us, but they look at them a lot better than we can. Like Safin's first Australian Open loss hit him hard. He was the favorite and he was expected to cream Johansson.

Now last year he had a tough road, he got through Agassi and Roddick, and what's he gonna have left in the tank for the best player in the world? So when he talks about it, it's all in perspective.

Anyway, a Safin win tomorrow would go a long way toward changing his rep (which has been deserved). As Dage says, he's been really setting his mind in the course. Had a tough one against Fed, but got the extra day and should show it. We'll see how his new mental resolve stands up to being the massive unfavorite.

Edited January 29, 2005 by Elias Sports Bureau

[Derek21]

I felt sorry for Lindsay at the end. But how about the heart Serena showed at two all in the second set saving six break points? I don't know about anyone else but that was where the match turned. If Lindsay gets that break, I think she wins. She was playing lights out. But Serena made some great shots and she wasn't 100 percent. She was struggling returning serves. As the match evolved, she hit a cleaner ball. That was the difference.

Lindsay really fell apart too. She just went away after giving that game away in the second. She had played fine tennis and then just lost it. It was similar to Roddick.

With Serena, she is very strong mentally. She's pulled out tough matches before. She just believes she'll prevail. I really respect that. So much heart.

Hope the men's final is better. No 6-0 sets please. I want a five-set classic.

It's on 3:30 AM Sunday morning and replays at noon Sunday.

Hewitt vs Safin- a contrast in styles. Should be fun to watch.

[Elias Sports Bureau]

It's gonna be pretty tough to top the Federer-Safin match. That took a lot out of me. That day of tennis was prob. the most amazing one I ever saw from Serena-Sharapova to Davenport-Dechy to Fed-Saf.

So if it's 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 Saf I won't be cryin'.

Edited January 29, 2005 by Elias Sports Bureau

[MaddDog]

Hewitt is getting amazing support obviously but I always heard he was hated in Australia. He won some poll as the most hated Australian athlete. Maybe it is been so long since an Aussie won that they don't care as long as someone wins.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Funny you should say that, because my friend in Sydney CANNOT STAND Lleyton and wanted him to lose to Roddick. She think he's a total prick and is utterly obnoxious. So, it's probably true that alot of Aussies don't particularly care for Hewitt, but they will root for him this one time since it's the tournament on their own soil.

I taped that Roddick match, still pissed he lost go Safin!

Too bad Lindsay could not win, but Serena winning didn't bother me as much as it usually would, probably because the other Amazon Sister wasn't on the other side of the court (I got SO sick of it being Williams-Williams in those finals a few years back)

[Derek21]

Yeah. Aussies don't like Lleyton as much cause of his on-court antics. But to be honest, I see nothing wrong with showing some emotion on the court. He wants to win. Is yelling, "Come on" that bad? As long as he doesn't overdo it, it doesn't bother me. He behaved himself very well against Roddick.

I'd like to see some more positive energy from Roddick. He's lost some of that lately.

[Derek21]

Here's a comment from Serena about the crucial hold at two all in the second:

``I kept thinking 'I'm not losing this game -- I don't care if my arm falls off,''' she said.

[Derek21]

Some shots of the champion and runner-up at a nice award ceremony presented by legend Margaret Court:

[Derek21]

A few more:

[Elias Sports Bureau]

Really nice enthusiasm from Serena. It's good to see. Reminds me a lot of when she was first coming on. Even though I thought no, she won't be better than Venus.

Well THAT little projection was wrong!

And Lindsay is total class. Every time I'm told, no one cares about Lindsay the names are Serena, Venus and Sharapova, I'm like you're wrong. People take note of your attitude as much as they do your talent. And maybe people aren't as vociferous in their dedication, but they are willing to voice it.

[Derek21]

I knew she'd be better than Venus. She hits with more power and is a little more athletic.

Don't forget the men's final is on live 3:30 AM (7:30 PM Aussie time) and repeated at noon tomorrow.

[Elias Sports Bureau]

I knew she'd be better than Venus. She hits with more power and is a little more athletic.

Don't forget the men's final is on live 3:30 AM (7:30 PM Aussie time) and repeated at noon tomorrow.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm not seeing the men's final at all on my TV Guide Channel until noon. Seems like they blew it off because of who the finalists are.

When Serena first first started, you knew that?

At some point, it became apparent to me. When she first came on, no, I didn't see it.

[Derek21]

I've played the game and it was apparent that Serena just had more ability. That's why I am not surprised that she's won more majors. I would like to see Venus win another one. But she needs to really work hard. The women's game is so much more competitive now.

Here's my latest Hard Hits column. I featured it on this year's Australian Open. It's not up on nysportsday yet. Enjoy:

Hard Hits: "The Forgotten Grand Slam"

by Derek Felix

When it comes to tennis, out of the four majors, the first one of the year that takes place in Melbourne, Australia never seems to get as much ink as the others. While it is true that Wimbledon is the most prestigious title to capture and the U.S. Open is considered one of the best tournaments to win, the Australian Open has gone under the radar.

What gets lost is that while it is the dead of winter here, down under in the middle of January, it's sweltering summer heat over in Australia. Because it's so far away, most journalists do not make the trip there. When I think about it, I can understand why they wouldn't want to take a 24-hour flight across the hemisphere. It's hard enough staying in one place 24 hours. Imagine being on a plane for that long! That's an eternity. However, as I watched ESPN's exclusive coverage of the tournament, I realized how beautiful Melbourne is. The atmosphere outside Rod Laver Arena is great. Thousands of fans can be seen taking in matches on the grass for $15 Australian on a big screen. Also, many diehards were having a blast playing tennis games with oversized rackets and moving nets. Some were even dressed up as kangaroos. Just my kind of place.

The best part was that despite how far it was for some diehards, they made the trip to support their favorite tennis players. A Swedish contingent could be seen and heard during matches. There were also fans from Switzerland cheering on the men's number one player, Roger Federer. And yes, there were American tourists who took that "flight from hell" to root on stars such as Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Serena and Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport. If these people could make the trip to see their favorite players, why couldn't more journalists? Of course, not everyone is as dedicated to the sport as The Boston Globe's Bud Collins. Collins, has been around forever covering the game. He's traveled around the world and become a fixture on NBC for his commentary during Wimbledon. He'll always give an objective analysis and be entertaining not just for what he says but for what he wears. He can get away with wearing a funky outfit that can be as colorful as Collins himself. It works. If there were more people like him around, the game would get even more coverage here in the States.

We're not talking about ESPN either. The Grand Slam Network does an outstanding job with the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. They also air other big tournaments such as Indian Wells and the Hard Court series. The commentators deserve a lot of credit for their passion of the game. Cliff Drysdale, Dick Enberg, Mary Carillo, Patrick McEnroe, Brad Gilbert, Mary Joe Fernandez and Pam Schriver all are extremely knowledgable and describe the action well. Gilbert was added on after he parted ways with Andy Roddick. His analysis on the men's matches during this tournament has been very good and he seems to enjoy himself. Enberg is as multidimensional a play-by-play broadcaster as there is. He can go from doing an AFC playoff game and NCAA basketball to a heated tennis match without missing a beat. Enberg has an artisic way of describing a match. When Serena Williams won the final nine games of the women's final defeating Davenport, Enberg expressed disappointment in how the final set concluded. "It was like watching a play and in the third act, an actress forgets her lines" he said afterwards. A perfect way to tell the viewers what took place.

While the broadcasters have made watching the matches a joy, it's probably difficult for most people here to follow the Australian Open. Australia is 16 hours ahead if you live on the East coast and 19 hours ahead if you live in the Pacific. With the internet available, it's much easier to get scores. But that ruins it. ESPN was nice enough to show the men's quarterfinal between Federer and Agassi live at 3:30 AM here. For those trying to figure out what time it was down under, it was 7:30 at night. Agassi has been an American tennis icon and it was expected to be a competitive match. Unfortunately, for American viewers, that never unfolded due to Federer's dominance on his serve and return game. He defeated Agassi in straight sets, getting one break of serve in each. ESPN also repeated the match at 2 ET/11 PT later that day. They did this for all the key men's matches. That included the best match of the tournament the other day when Marat Safin took on Federer in a classic semifinal. Both players traded heavy serves and groundstrokes for nearly four and a half hours. If you taped it, you got to see one of the best matches ever. They split the first four sets setting the stage for an epic final set. The best part about it was that in the last set, there's no tiebreak. This means that unless a player secures a break and wins by two games, the match could go on forever. It becomes a battle of attrition. After Safin got an early break in the set, it looked like he would serve it out and prevail 6-4. But Federer had other ideas. Saving two match points, he broke back to put it back on serve. He then put some pressure on Safin but the lanky Russian served his way out of trouble. Safin had four more match points denied by the Swiss number one before converting his lucky seventh to pull out a thrilling 80 minute fifth set 9-7 and advance to the final. He ripped a backhand down the line that knocked down Federer leaving a wide open court for him to hit a forehand for the victory. So tired was the Russian that he could barely raise his arms afterwards. The two men, who gave everything they had, embraced at the net. Excellent sportsmanship. The match was so good that ESPN Classic is airing a replay of it right now.

One of the best stories of this year's Open has been the impressive run of fellow Aussie Lleyton Hewitt to the final. Never has there been more pressure on an Australian to win for his country. It's been 29 years since an Australian man last won at Melbourne. Mark Edmondson was the last to take the title back in 1976. By defeating Andy Roddick in four sets the other night, Hewitt became the first Australian male to reach the final since Pat Cash in '88, when he lost in five sets to Mats Wilander. Hewitt has had a tough run to make the final. He overcame a tough second round match against James Blake in four sets and battled back from two sets-to-one down against Rafael Nadal just to reach his first ever Australian quarterfinal. Just to get to this point, he outlasted David Nalbandian in a five set struggle that lasted over four hours, winning the final set 8-6 to reach the semifinals. Against Roddick, the Australian withstood an onslaught of overpowering serves and blistering forehand winners to comeback and win in four sets to reach his second consecutive slam final. Despite how much power Roddick generated, Hewitt's all out hustle and determination won out. How much did it mean to Hewitt? After his victory against Roddick, he said, "I would have given anything to be in this position, to have an opportunity to play one match for the title here in Melbourne."

Now, he tries to give his country a special treat. It is the Centenary Anniversary of the tournament. If he is victorious, it would be a storybook ending for this year's Open. The atmosphere inside Rod Laver Arena will be raucous. If Hewitt can overcome the very talented Safin, he will have earned it. It should be a lot of fun to watch. That's if you plan to stay up late and see it live at 3:30 ET/12:30 PT. It will also be repeated at noon tomorrow. Hopefully, it will be another epic match.

Whoever thought the Australian Open was irrelevant didn't watch Serena Williams fight off three match points against Sharapova in a two and a half hour slugfest that captured the crowd as well as myself. She overcame the Russian teenager 8-6 in the final set to prevail. Or what about Davenport's three set battle against Aussie Alicia Molik with Davenport winning 9-7 in the third? Just another example of why this tournament has been magnificent to watch this year. In 2003, Roddick outlasted Younes El Aynaoui in a grueling five hour marathon, prevailing 21-19 in the fifth set. In 2002, Jennifer Capriati saved four championship points against Martina Hingis before coming back to win the title in three sets. It's also the place where Agassi has won half of his majors. At one point in his career, he didn't come down to Australia. When then coach Brad Gilbert convinced him to in '95, it turned out to be a blessing for Andre, who captured the first of four Aussie titles, the most any American has ever won. He's become almost like an adopted son there. After his loss to Federer, the crowd gave him a standing ovation. That's how beloved he is.

An exciting two weeks is coming to its conclusion. In Australia right now, it's past 2 in the afternoon the next day. They are preparing to see if history can be made tonight. Imagine if one of their own wins. It should be electric.

Tidbits:

-Just so you know, the Knicks organization insists Lenny Wilkens resigned. Since when did Isiah Thomas become Pinocchio?

-Doug Mientkiewicz might not hit the ball like Carlos Delgado but he can field his position as well as anyone. That might turn out to be a good thing for the Mets.

-If Tom Brady and Bill Belichick can defeat the Eagles next Sunday in Super Bowl XXXIX, the Patriots will go down as a modern-day dynasty.

-We're already sick of whether or not Terrell Owens will play. Bottom line is this. As much as an egomaniac he is, he'll be out there next week.

-Make me take Freddie Mitchell seriously. Could he at least get a haircut?

-Based on what we've seen, Illinois is the team to beat this year in the NCAA.

-Is Serena's game still in decline? She still has more heart than anyone.

-Roger Federer might have lost to Marat Safin but he went down swinging. More than you could say for Andy Roddick.

-When does the NHL finally admit that this season is lost?

[Derek21]

Congratulations Marat Safin on winning the 2005 Australian Open :hail:!!!!!

He played amazing tennis after he got down a set to Lleyton Hewitt. It was pretty obvious that Safin was very nervous and Hewitt came out playing great. But as has been his new motto this tournament, he never panicked. He said during his press conference the other day that when he won five years ago here, he couldn't handle it. But this time, he said he'd use his recent Aussie Open final experiences to help boost him through. That is what was on display today.

We saw some brilliant shotmaking and terrific strategy. Safin put a lot of thought process into what he was doing wrong and mixed it up. His serve, which also was a non-factor in the opening set finally picked up along with the rest of his game. It was dominant in the middle of the pivotal third set when the tide turned and in the fourth, he couldn't miss. He only lost three points on it. That is amazing.

Clearly, when Hewitt held his serve at the beginning of the third warding off break points and broke Safin, momentum was with the Aussie to get it done. But whatever that injury timeout did for some hip treatment (probably just a cramp), it changed the whole match. Safin came out playing much better and relaxed. He kept applying pressure on Hewitt's serve and finally got the break. From there, he broke again and served out the set. He just showed great composure.

His head has always been a question mark. But in this tournament, against Federer and against Hewitt in a Davis Cup atmosphere, you could see the noodle working for the enigmatic Russian. That's maturity and desire to not come up short again. It shouldn't have taken another five years for him to win his second slam. But maybe that's what had to happen. It's kind of like Agassi. Andre got mentally tougher as he got older. Maybe the same thing could apply to Marat.

That depends on how the Russian Express does the rest of the year.

In the fourth set, as out of reach as it looked for Hewitt, let's not forget that it took some incredible shots for Safin to open the frame with the break he needed to win. Down 40-15, Hewitt had him on the run and he just got his racket on the ball and struck an unreal forehand winner down the line. I still don't know how he got it. It was an incredible play by a Russian-like cat with quick reflexes. He also hit a couple of amazing backhand winners crosscourt flatfooted by the service line. That kind of talent is very easy to appreciate. Hewitt wasn't giving him the points. Safin just imposed his will and took control. He also did well at the net when in.

I got to give Hewitt full props for not giving up. It would have been so easy to throw in the towel with how Safin was serving and playing. Hewitt could have been broken other times. But he never died. Like Marat said after the match, Hewitt tried to get every ball back. That's the kind of workmanlike effort that I like about Lleyton. He doesn't have the God-given talent of a Federer, Safin or Roddick. But he has so much will power. For all his on-court antics with the "Come ons," I kind of like that never say die attitude. He is trying to pump himself up and shows how much he wants to win. I know it had to be heartbreaking to be runner-up. They said he put a lot of training into this tournament and really wanted to break the 29-year drought on the men's side. But ultimately, it wasn't meant to be. He got beat by a better man. There's no shame in that. He'll be back.

I really enjoyed this tournament. It seems to have gotten better the past few years. This year was especially fun to watch. You had some thrilling five-set marathons that featured Hewitt twice and Federer and Safin in the match of the tournament. You had a couple of epic women's matches with Serena and Sharapova slugging it out and Davenport outlasting Aussie Alicia Malik. This was the kind of tennis you wanted to see.

Joachim Johansson set a record with 51 aces against Agassi in defeat. Remarkable stuff.

The coverage on ESPN2 was outstanding. They really did themselves proud. As much as we get on them for hockey, that's as good as they were covering this first slam with a 16 hour difference here on the east coast. They showed more than 20 extra hours of live coverage. They expected to show 40 but wound up showing 64 hours. They did a great job with the camera shots and showing how wonderful an atmosphere Melbourne is. I really would like to go there for one Open after seeing it. It was great.

And both players were very classy in their speeches. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how relaxed Safin was when he won. He is so unpredictable. I guess it was a long time coming.

Hewitt was very gracious in defeat. I believe sometimes, he's misunderstood. He wants to win so badly.

Safin's speech was pure comedy. The stuff about Hewitt's corner was classic . And the comment about 90 percent of the crowd rooting for his opponent. And even the funny stuff about the sponsors. "It's four years, right?"

Loved the comment about the lines' people. "I wouldn't have won a point without them."

Just very enjoyable to see. The crowd was outstanding. Something both players noted. Very fair and respectful all tournament.

Also, they did a wonderful job with the trophy presentation. It was a fitting way to celebrate the centenary anniversary of the tournament. The great champions like Rosewall, Court and Newcombe on hand. The only thing missing was Laver. Too bad he wasn't feeling well.

This tournament has definitely grown in my eyes. I think it's definitely moved up a couple of notches. I like it better than the French. Though clay is very difficult for the top players to win on. It kind of stinks that that's a few months away. But it will be here before you know it.

What a great tournament. The Aussie posters on this board should be proud.

Great job, mate .

Edited January 30, 2005 by Derek21

[Derek21]

Here's a final recap:

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/r...7086047205.html

Safin Triumphs

Sunday, 30 January, 2005

by Luke Buttigieg

Russian Marat Safin has crashed local hope Lleyton Hewitt's party, recovering from a set down to claim the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup as Australian Open men's singles champion at his third attempt.

Beaten by Thomas Johansson in 2002 and Roger Federer 12 months ago in the decider at Melbourne Park, Safin looked set for more heartbreak when he surrendered the opening set to a fired-up Hewitt in just 23 minutes.

But the No.4 seed lifted his output and squared the match with the only break of the second set, before then rallying from a break down in the third to run away with the match and prevail 1-6 6-3 6-4 6-4 in two hours and 45 minutes.

Safin was worn out and simply couldn't stay with Federer in 2004, having endured several long matches coming in, but after those two heartbreaking losses, he is now a Grand Slam champion for a second time, following his 2000 US Open victory.

Having taken a hip flexor injury into the tournament, and then been forced to endure two five-set matches and a quartet of four-setters, fatigue appeared to play a big part in No.3 seed Hewitt's performance as the match wore on.

And having won the 2001 US Open title and Wimbledon the following year, he will have to wait at least another year to achieve his dream of a home Grand Slam triumph, when it will also be 30 years since Australian Mark Edmondson's 1976 victory.

After holding serve in the first game of the match No.3 seed Hewitt then broke in the second game and held again for a 3-0 lead, and his patient tactics of going to the Safin backhand paid dividends again in the sixth game with another break.

That allowed him to serve for the set and with 26 points to only 11, six winners to Safin's five and just one unforced error to his opponent's 13, as it was plain to see what made the difference early.

After Safin held serve in the first game of the second set Hewitt was forced to dig deep to do likewise, but it was a sign of things to come as Safin then broke in the fourth to lead 3-1 and staved off two break points in the ninth game to level the contest after 66 minutes.

Safin was starting to find the lines with his forehand, but some superb returns from Hewitt allowed him to break in the second game and race 3-0 clear, at which point Safin called for treatment on his upper legs.

The next two games went with serve but, after being down 1-4 midway through the set, Safin suddenly began to find his rhythm with his backhand as well and broke back with his third opportunity.

The set was quickly over as Safin also won the next three games to suddenly lead by a set, and Hewitt called for treatment on his hip injury, using the full three-minute injury time-out he was allowed.

Having won the final five games of the third set, Safin extended his run to seven games by breaking a third time in succession in the first game of the fourth set, and though he had further chances to break, Hewitt held on to force him to serve it out.

But Safin was not to be denied, and held brilliantly to love in the 10th game to secure a famous victory, while Hewitt has now lost his past two Grand Slam finals, having also been defeated by Federer in the US Open final last September.

Current Match on Rod Laver Arena

Rod Laver Arena - MS - Finals

Match Statistics

Marat Safin RUS (4) 1 6 6 6

Lleyton Hewitt AUS (3) 6 3 4 4

• The sets lasted 23, 42, 58 and 42 minutes, respectively

• Safin served 18 aces, Hewitt 7

• Safin hit 54 winners, Hewitt 3 (Believe this should be 23)

• Safin won 122 points, Hewitt 113

• Safin made 36 unforced errors, Hewitt 22

• Safin converted 4 of 11 break point chances, Hewitt 3 of 8

• Safin put 60% of his first serves into play, Hewitt 49% (Definitely was a factor; Lleyton's first serve pct dropped as the match went on)

• Safin won 73% of points on his first serve, Hewitt 70%

• Safin won 25 of 42 points (60%) when he came to the net, Hewitt 10 of 17 (59%)

• Safin's fastest serve was clocked at 215 km/h, Hewitt's 202 km/h

[Derek21]

Some shots of both players:

[Derek21]

Some shots of the champion and runner-up:

[Derek21]

[Derek21]

[Elias Sports Bureau]

Congrats to Saf!!

He really really earned it!!!!

I was hoping after the Federer win that this would be the win that turned it around. He seems a lot old and wiser, and maybe his U.S. Open win did come a little early for his tennis maturity.

But he seems to have really gotten into a good space, and yet he still has the fire that makes him so eminently watchable.

I hope we get to see a lot more Safin-Federer matchups and they are as good, because right now it looks like he's the only one who can hurt the No. 1 on a regular basis.

And I hope we see a lot more of Safin on top of his game in general.

CON-GRAT-U-LA-TIONS SAF!!!!!