JAKARTA, January 23 (RIA Novosti) - Marat Safin of Russia advanced to the 1/8 finals of the Australian Open, having beaten US tennis veteran Todd Martin with great difficulty on Friday.
Their match lasted 3 hours 25 minutes and ended in Safin's most difficult win 7-5, 1-6, 4-6, 6-0, 7-5. The two opponents had equal results in practically all the elements of play. Safin boasted nine aces, and Martin - ten, with the Russian having won a total of 151 points, and the American - 148.
So, Marat Safin who is now alone to represent Russia in men's singles in the current Australian Open has made it into the 1/8 finals where he will meet with James Blake also of the USA like Todd Martin.
