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Safin wants to end his career in a blaze of glory at home!

by bahamaderek on Oct.21, 2009, under Marat Safin, Nicolay Davydenko

Russia Tennis Kremlin CupMarat Safin opened his final Kremlin Cup campaign by ousting defending champion Nikolay Davydenko in the first round in Moscow.

Safin was runner-up in last year’s final, and today he came from a set down to win 4-6 6-4 6-2 and end Davydenko’s bid for a fourth title in the Russian capital.

Safin, 29, who retires at the end of the season, produced 10 aces and a better all-round game against his 28-year-old opponent to win in a little under two hours.

Also through into the second round were Evgeny Korolev who beat fellow Russian Igor Kunitsyn 7-6 (6) 6-3 while qualifier Illya Marchenko was 4-1 up in the deciding set when Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin retired with a throat infection to seal a 1-6 6-4 4-1 result.

Russian third seed Mikhail Youzhny thrashed Potito Starace, of Italy, 6-1 6-1 in less than an hour, producing a superb service performance to reach the third round.

Pablo Cuevas, the fifth seed, had a tougher match but prevailed 3-6 6-1 6-4 against Teimuraz Gabashvili.

However, seventh seed Fabrice Santoro crashed out in straight sets to qualifier Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine.

Stakhovsky hit 11 aces and produced a far more incisive game to win 7-5 6-1 to overcome a deficit of 60 ranking places.

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