| MOSCOW (AP) -- U.S. Open champion Marat Safin got a scare
from Italian Gianlucca Pozzi -- a pro almost as long as Safin has been
out of diapers -- before beating him 6-1, 7-5 Thursday in the Kremlin Cup.
The top-seeded Russian closed the first set against the Italian in just
28 minutes, cruising on serves clocking faster than 120 mph, but Pozzi
fought back in the second set. In the end, Safin won their second-round
match 6-1, 7-5.
``He turned pro in 1984 and is playing old-fashioned tennis; it was
difficult for me to get used to him,'' the 20-year-old Safin said of his
35-year-old opponent. ``I scared myself.''
On the women's side, top-ranked Martina Hingis breezed past Olympic
silver medalist Elena Dementieva in just 14 minutes in the first set Thursday,
but labored in the next two before advancing to the semifinals.
The Swiss player won 6-0, 6-7 (5), 7-5. Also advancing in the $2.5 million
tournament was fourth-seeded Anna Kournikova of Russia, who beat wild-card
compatriot Vera Zvonareva 7-6 (4), 6-4, to reach the tournament's quarterfinals
for the first time since 1995.
Unseeded Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria scored a second-round upset of
third-seeded Arantxa Sanches-Vicario of Spain 6-3, 6-2, and Amelie Mauresmo
of France beat American Lisa Raymond 6-2, 6-4.
Dementieva of Russia broke Hingis' serve in the fourth game of the second
set, then broke it again to go ahead 4-2. They traded games before Hingis
fought back to force a tiebreaker, which she lost on a wide return.
The Russian went down love-15 in the 12th game of the final set, then
double-faulted twice and sent a forehand wide.
``At 4-4 in the decisive set, I was waiting for Hingis' faults, and
it was my worst mistake in the match,'' Dementieva said.
Kournikova, currently ranked 11th, lost the two opening games at love,
then came back from love-40 to break her unheralded opponent in the next
game only to lose her serve in the sixth game.
``I saw no problems in the match, and could afford myself such things
which I would never do in a match with a strong opponent,'' Kournikova
said.
In other second-round men's play, David Prinosil of Germany fired 12
aces to dispose of Levy Harel of Israel 6-3, 6-0, and Jonas Bjorkman of
Sweden upset sixth-seeded Max Mirnyi of Belarus 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
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