Sixth-seeded Marat Safin of Russia overcame a twisted ankle Saturday to reach the final at the Paris Masters for the fourth time in six years and will meet qualifier Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic for the championship.
Safin, who won in Paris in 2000 and 2002, defeated 13th-seeded Guillermo Canas of Argentina 6-2, 7-6 (5). Stepanek came back to beat qualifier Max Mirnyi of Belarus 3-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4.
Safin, who also won the Madrid Masters two weeks ago, is looking to equal Boris Becker's record of three titles in the French capital.
The Russian also made the 1999 final, but lost to Andre Agassi.
Stepanek is looking to become the first qualifier to clinch a Masters title since Albert Portas won in Hamburg in 2001 and is playing in his first career ATP final.
He has met Safin only once previously, last month at Moscow's Kremlin Cup, and won that second-round match 7-6 (8), 4-6, 6-3. The crowd was behind Safin that day and will be again at Bercy's indoor arena -- where he is enormously popular with French fans.
"I'm used to that, but maybe I can get the crowd on my side in the end," said Stepanek, who is ranked 63rd in the ATP entry rankings and has five quarterfinal losses this season.
Canas, a Toronto Masters winner in 2002 and seeking his fourth ATP title of the season, surged in the second set, breaking Safin with an exquisite lob, and then holding for a 3-1 lead.
Safin broke Canas to pull within 3-4 and then held to even the set, eventually sending it to the tiebreak.
At 5-5, Canas lost his temper after a Safin shot was initially ruled out, only for the umpire to overrule and ask for the point to be replayed.
Canas screamed in disbelief at Italian umpire Romano Grillotti, swiped his racket into the ground and then promptly lost the replayed point with a long forehand to give Safin match point, and he wrapped up the match on his serve.
"You need to play a very, very high level to beat Marat," Canas added. "I think he didn't make a mistake. He was serving very well and always returns well."
Mirnyi, who knocked out top-seeded Andy Roddick of the US earlier in the competition, started strongly and immediately broke Stepanek to move ahead 2-0 and take control of the opening set.
He looked largely untroubled in the second, which headed to a tiebreak after both players held serve throughout.
Stepanek, taking more risks than his opponent, raced to a 5-0 lead in the tiebreak, effectively breaking Mirnyi's resistance.
He carried that momentum into the decider, where he broke in the third game and then held to pull ahead 3-1.
Mirnyi saved one match point, but Stepanek closed out the match after hitting a clean volley across court .
Top-seeded Amelie Mauresmo of France advanced to the Advanta Championships final after reigning Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova of Russia withdrew from their semifinal match with a strained right shoulder.
Mauresmo will take on sixth-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia, who defeated seventh-seeded countrywoman Nadia Petrova 6-3, 7-6 (2) later Saturday.
"I'm very disappointed I am not able to continue my play in Philadelphia," Sharapova said.
Abigail Spears of the US and Martina Sucha of Slovakia will play for the US$170,000 Bell Challenge title today.
Spears topped Alina Jidkova of Russia 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (4) Saturday at Club Avantage Multi-Sports de Quebec, while Sucha beat Maria-Emilia Salerni of Argentina 6-7 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (6).
Sucha, who has won once on the WTA Tour, is ranked 80th in the world. Spears, ranked 122, will be playing in her first final.
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter’s home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to
Matheus Cunha on Saturday fired Manchester United toward the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defense ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league defeat for the Blues left their Champions League hopes in ruins. United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite competition for the past two seasons, but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under interim manager
Denmark’s double Olympic badminton champion Viktor Axelsen, long a rival of Taiwan’s former world No. 2 Chou Tien-chen, yesterday announced his retirement at age 32, saying back problems meant he could no longer “compete and train at the highest level.” Axelsen, who won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and again in Paris in 2024, had back surgery in April last year and said he had not overcome his physical issues. “Accepting this situation has been incredibly difficult,” he said in a statement. “But I have now reached a point where my body won’t allow me to continue.” Axelsen retires as one
Italian soccer is at its lowest ebb in nearly 40 years after a wholesale European exodus at club level followed the nation’s failure for the third successive time to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, and compounded a leadership and structural crisis. The exits suffered by Bologna and ACF Fiorentina on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League respectively meant no Italian teams are left in European competition this season. Italy’s last remaining UEFA Champions League contenders, Atalanta BC, went out in the round of 16 last month. It is the first time since the 1986-1987 campaign that Italian clubs
RSS