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Safin wants to shed loser tag at Open
Safin is taking steps to ensure he won't be tagged a three-time final loser after scaling the heights to end Federer's all-conquering run.
Marat Safin is taking steps to ensure he won't be tagged a three-time Australian Open final loser after scaling the heights to end Roger Federer's all-conquering run.
The irrepressible Russian produced one of the great comebacks from match point down to knock the Swiss world number one out of the Australian Open in a semi-final of sublime quality.
In a performance that befitted a final, fourth-seeded Safin stood toe-to-toe with the Swiss maestro and came out on top of a 4 hour 28 minute epic, 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (8/6), 9-7 late on Thursday.
Safin, into his third Australian final in four years, has the advantage of putting his feet up and watching either American second seed Andy Roddick or Australian third seed Lleyton Hewitt slug it out to join him in Sunday's decider.
Although the 25-year-old Russian plays his best tennis on the Melbourne hardcourts he has the stigma of being a two-times losing finalist and gets his chance to shake it off this weekend.
The plain-speaking Safin makes no bones about his disappointment at not adding to his 2000 US Open triumph over Pete Sampras.
Safin could not go with Federer in last year's final, running out of gas after a debilitating lead-up of five-set wins over Roddick in the quarters and four-times winner Andre Agassi in the semis.
But he was bitterly disappointing in going down to Sweden's Thomas Johansson in the 2002 final when considered the favourite.
"They were little bit different finals," Safin said. "After I made the first final, I was really nervous because I didn't have so much experience and didn't expect to be in a final, especially against Johansson.
