Roddick beats Safin in four sets

TENNIS: Andy Roddick won his big battle with 2005 champion and 26th seed Marat Safin to advance to the fourth round of the Australian Open on Friday.

The American sixth seed won 7-6 (7/2), 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) in 3hr 12 min and will play Croatia's ninth seed Mario Ancic in the next round.

"I knew I had to play well and I definitely lifted my game in the last two sets. I had to or I would be going home. It is nice to get through a tough one like this," said Roddick.

In a feisty match, Roddick held a grip on the third and fourth sets as Safin was distracted in a running battle with the chair umpire over the state of the court and line-calls.

It was Roddick's fourth win in seven meetings with the explosive Russian and first in a Grand Slam against Safin, who beat him in the quarter-finals of the 2004 Australian Open in five sets.

Safin's exit opens the way for Roddick to push on to the quarter-finals and a projected semi-final on seedings with world number one Roger Federer.

Roddick's win was watched by his new coach and tennis great Jimmy Connors, who arrived just in time for Friday's match after the recent death of his mother in the United States.

Both players exchanged service breaks before Roddick took the opening set tiebreak, but erratic volleying plagued him in the second set.

The Russian grabbed three service breaks as Roddick struggled with his groundstrokes to level the match.

Safin cut his little right finger diving for a volley in the fifth game of the third set and needed the trainer but continued.

Roddick found more consistency and broke Safin in the ninth game with a cross-court volley.

The American hold three set points on serve in the next game and took the lead in the match when Safin's forehand was long.

A brief rain delay sent the players to their courtside chairs while the stadium's retractable roof closed, but Safin argued about returning to the court, pointing to what he deemed wet areas.

French chair umpire Pascal Maria told him to start playing and tournament referee Wayne McKewen also said the court was fit.

But Safin continued remonstrating and was warned by the umpire for an audible obscenity before he begrudgingly resumed playing.

The big Russian continued haranguing the umpire over an overrule on a service fault which he called for a HawkEye challenge, which called the ball in.

During the changeover he kept it up with the chair umpire, still furious over having to play after the rain delay.

But Roddick had Safin under pressure on serve with with four break points in the third game and three more in the ninth game before the match went to a second tiebreaker.

Roddick was in command racing to four match points and clinching it on the first when Safin netted a backhand.

MELBOURNE, Friday, AFP