Safin ends Davydenko reign

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:05

Seventh seed Safin made the most of his powerful serve to beat the top seed 7-6 (7/5) 4-6 6-4 in Moscow.

A former world number one and two-time grand slam champion, Safin fired 17 aces to outlast the two-time defending champion, denying him a fourth shot at the title.

Safin also put an end to his own winless streak to Davydenko, having lost his last four matches against his Russian compatriot.

Safin broke Davydenko in the fifth game of the decisive set and held on from there, winning in two hours 28 minutes.

Safin will now face Mischa Zverev in the last four after the unseeded German posted a stunning 6-4 3-6 7-5 victory over Viktor Troicki.

Zverev trailed 5-1 in the final set and faced two match points, but he saved both and broke for a 5-2 deficit.

Zverev then broke Troicki twice more to complete the stirring comeback.

It is the first ATP semi-final appearance for Zverev, who had lost in his three previous quarter-finals this year.

Meanwhile, Fabrice Santoro prevailed in all-French match-up when fourth seed Paul-Henri Mathieu retired due to illness and Kunitsyn dominated Jeremy Chardy of France 6-4 6-2 in 63 minutes.

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