By Alastair Himmer

MELBOURNE (Reuters) -

A freak volley has sparked Marat Safin to a pulsating 7-6 6-3 6-7 6-3 victory over American James Blake at the Australian Open, taking the former world number one into the quarter-finals.

The Russian will play current number one Andy Roddick in a potentially explosive Melbourne showdown on Tuesday, Safin's 24th birthday.

Safin, who has slipped to 86th in the rankings after an injury-plagued 2003, pulled off an astonishing backhand volley to open a 5-3 lead in the fourth set and end Blake's hopes of a comeback.

Leading by two sets to one, Safin lunged to his left after a crunching Blake forehand, losing his racket as his return volley dipped over his opponent's head and dropped just inside the baseline.

"It was just pure luck," shrugged Safin, runner-up in Melbourne two years ago. "I don't know how it happened. It was not like I planned to play it. At the right moment, just pure luck -- 100 percent."

Safin joked: "I think I just threw it, you know. Normally, it doesn't work this way. Just once a year."

Meanwhile, Blake questioned whether the shot was legal as Safin's racket flew off the court the instant he played the volley. Under the rules a player's hand must be in contact with his racket when he plays a shot.

"I'd love to see a replay. I'm not sure if it was actually even a legal shot," said the American, whose 50 unforced errors undermined a gritty performance.

HUGE POINT

"Unfortunately it came on a huge point when I really thought I should have put that forehand away. I've never seen an umpire make that call. It's probably way too tough to make."

Safin played a clinical first-set tiebreak to win it 7-3 and rolled through the second set after taking a time-out to treat his blistered left foot.

A determined Blake hit back to take the third-set tiebreak 8-6 with a scorching backhand down the line.

But Safin dug in to avoid a fifth set against a player who had beaten him at the Hopman Cup earlier this month, wrapping up victory after three hours eight minutes.

"It was like I should have finished it in the third set," said the 2000 U.S. Open champion.

"Fourth set, I was struggling and my legs were getting tired a little bit. The fifth set is a lottery so it was really important for me to make the break in the fourth set and I was lucky to come up with that shot. Thanks, God."

Airborn Safin downs Blake

25jan04

thecourriermailnews.com

RUSSIAN former world No.1 Marat Safin conjured a miracle shot today to set up an Australian Open showdown with Andy Roddick.

Safin, whose ranking has slipped to 86th in the world after a 2003 that was decimated by injury, defeated James Blake of the United States 7-6 (7/3) 6-3 6-7 (6/8) 6-3 in just over three hours.

A gripping encounter was effectively settled with one of the most extraordinary shots seen at a Grand Slam, when a desperate lunging volley from Safin secured a break of serve for a 5-3 lead in the fourth set.

Television replays indicated the Russian's racquet was firmly in his hand when he connected - but Safin mischievously claimed afterwards that he had thrown it at the ball for an unlikely winner.

"It was just a lucky shot, at the right moment, pure luck - 100 percent," said Safin. Asked if the racquet was in his hand at the time he said: "I think no, I think I just throw it ... that's it. I don't know what happened."

Asked how he could have generated enough momentum to send the ball over Blake's head to the back of the court, Safin was insistent.

"I just throw it. I thought that I will not get the ball so I just throw the racquet, just a touch. Normally it doesn't work like that," he added to laughter.

Blake, meanwhile, said he was not sure if Safin's master-stroke had been legal - but was not bothered either way.

"I'd love to see a replay," Blake said. "I'm not sure if it was actually a legal shot. I think it may have been out of his hand. But I've never seen an umpire make that call. It's probably way too tough to make.

"I was too worried about getting to the lob. I don't think it's very easy to make that kind of shot.

"Once the racquet comes out of the hand, it loses so much power that to actually make that shot is kind of baffling. But I need to look over why I was in that position in the first place.

"I'm not going to cry over one point that could have gone my way."

After taking the first two sets, 2000 US Open champion Safin suffered a setback in the third, when world No.39 Blake won a tiebreak to force the fourth set.

With both players holding serve comfortably, the turning point came in the eighth game, when Safin finally put Blake under pressure.

Blake saved four break points but was unable to prevent Safin from converting his fifth, paying the price for failing to put away a forehand with the Russian scrambling back to cover.

It was then that Safin produced his fluky winner - putting him two games clear and setting him up for victory. The match was sealed when Blake lashed a forehand wide.

Safin match-breaker a freak, but legal?
By Chris Lines
January 25, 2004 The Age

Freakish, maybe even illegal - there has perhaps been no more unorthodox match-breaking shot at an Australian Open than the one played by Marat Safin yesterday.

Safin broke the fourth-set serve of James Blake in frankly unbelievable circumstances, allowing him to serve out the match 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 6-7 (8-6) 6-3 and set up a quarter-final clash with world No.1 Andy Roddick.

Blake had angled what appeared a point-winner deep into the backhand court, with the tall Safin literally throwing his racquet at the ball for a despairing shot that somehow floated past Blake at the net, who turned to despairingly watch it drop inside the baseline.

The question was whether Safin's hand had any purchase on the racquet at the moment of contact, otherwise the shot should be deemed illegal, but the umpire ruled it fair and the break stood.

''It was just pure luck, it's not like I planned it,'' Safin said.

''It was just a lucky shot at the right moment.''

Asked if he thought he had hold of the racquet at the time, the Russian replied: ''I think not''.

''I think I just threw it, I don't know how it happened.

''Maybe at the moment when I threw the racquet, it just touched.

''Normally it doesn't work...once a year.''

Indeed it would seem to defy the laws of physics that a racquet in mid-air would have the force to rebound a ball for a passing-shot winner, but even Blake thought the racquet was loose.

''Maybe it came out of his hand, I thought it came out of his hand,'' Blake said.

''I have done that before where I felt the racquet was out of my hand and I have never seen it called.

''I'm not sure if it was even a legal shot, but I have never seen an umpire make that call because its way too hard to call.

''It came on a huge point when I really felt I should have put that forehand away anyway."

Freak or foul, Safin's hot shot a winner

Jan 24. 2004

www.smh.comau

It was freakish, perhaps even illegal - but it is unlikely there has been a more unorthodox match-breaking shot at an Australian Open than the one played by Marat Safin yesterday.

Safin broke the serve of James Blake in the fourth set in unbelievable circumstances, allowing him to serve out the match 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-7 (8-6), 6-3 and set up a quarter-final clash with world No.1 Andy Roddick.

Blake had angled what appeared a winner deep into the backhand court, with the tall Safin literally throwing his racquet at the ball for a despairing shot that somehow floated past Blake at the net and dropped inside the baseline.

The question was whether Safin's hand had any purchase on the racquet at the moment of contact. If not, the shot should be deemed illegal, but the umpire ruled it fair and the break stood.

"It was just pure luck, it's not like I planned it," Safin said. "It was just a lucky shot at the right moment."

Asked if he thought he had hold of the racquet at the time, the Russian replied: "I think not. I think I just threw it, I don't know how it happened.

"Maybe at the moment when I threw the racquet, it just touched. Normally it doesn't work . . . once a year."

Indeed it would seem to defy the laws of physics that a racquet in mid-air would have the force to rebound a ball for a passing-shot winner, but even Blake thought the racquet was loose.

"Maybe it came out of his hand, I thought it came out of his hand," Blake said. "I have done that before where I felt the racquet was out of my hand and I have never seen it called.

"I'm not sure if it was even a legal shot, but I have never seen an umpire make that call because its way too hard to call.

"It came on a huge point when I really felt I should have put that forehand away anyway."

According to Safin's next opponent, Roddick, who noted the almost unprecedented number of heavyweights left in the draw, one lucky shot might be all that separates the seven or eight real contenders left in the title race. He sees the open as akin to a boxing belt. "I think it's Andre's title until someone takes it away from him."

Roddick is an obvious prospective "someone" and, should he defeat Agassi in their hypothetical semi-final, there would be a strong sense of the baton passing from American champ to challenger. Over the past 12 months, Roddick has earned the right to receive that star-spangled baton.

The question of Roddick now is: how good? Will he be a No.1 of, say, Boris Becker-Stefan Edberg calibre, or a step down, on the Jim Courier dais? Can he conceivably reach same league as countrymen John McEnroe, Pete Sampras and Agassi?

Patrick McEnroe, the American Davis Cup skipper and brother of John, was asked on radio yesterday how many grand slam titles Roddick might finish up with. Sampras reached 14, Agassi eight, while J McEnroe had seven - despite him seldom contesting what was then an irrelevant Australian Open.

P McEnroe guessed Roddick, by career's end, would own between "six and 10" slams. That would put him in the Agassi class.

It was a huge call from the junior Mac, given the competition Roddick faces from Rolls Royce Roger Federer et al, but Roddick's ruthless progression through this event suggests it was a rational estimate. Roddick, like Agassi, has not conceded a set in four matches and he hasn't had a soft draw: Taylor Dent and Sjeng Schalken, supposed danger players, were sat on their backsides by Roddick by early in the second set.

Schalken, the 16th seed, was brutalised by Roddick power. At times the 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 mauling made Schalken look as though he was using a wooden racquet.

The latest speed-gun technology told us Roddick was hitting his groundstrokes, on average, 12 kmph faster than Schalken. The disparity in serving speed was double that. Roddick served 14 aces to Sjeng's one.

It was a day on which power ruled. While Safin was more vulnerable than Roddick, the big Russian's victory over Blake was based on a similar edge in mass and velocity. Safin didn't land as many first serves (53 per cent, compared to 63) as Blake, yet the ace count was 20 to 2.

"I think we have pretty similar games," said Roddick of Safin.

"You know, in the fact that we have big serves but we're not serve-volleyers. You know, we rely on big groundstrokes."

Safin, like Roddick, owns a solitary US Open title and was not seeded here due to injuries.

Aside from the ugly blister he had treated mid-match yesterday, Safin appears fit and distraction-free. He cannot be discounted. "I don't think, if you asked the players, it was ever in doubt that he would get back, or get back fast," Roddick said of his next opponent.

Look Who's Back!

Jan. 24, 2004

ATP website

After an injury-marred 2003 season, Safin has muscled his way into the quarterfinals in his first Grand Slam outing in 12 months. Safin is yet to enjoy a straight-sets win at Melbourne Park this week but he has arrived in the last eight injury free and presenting a clear and present danger to top seed Andy Roddick.

Safin, who claimed his 250th career victory on Sunday, reached the Australian Open final in 2002.Safin tore ligaments in his left wrist during last year's Australian Open. The injury limited him to 13 events in 2003 and sidelined him from Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Safin said he was determined not to let Blake force a deciding set: “I wanted to close it out in the fourth set because the fifth set can be a lottery.

Facing a showdown against the in-form World No. 1 Roddick, Safin said: “No-one wants to lose in the quarterfinals. It's halfway to the final. It's everybody's goal to win the tournament. The players are getting better and better and their confidence is growing, so it's going to be difficult."

Blake said: “If I'd taken advantage of a couple of chances at 30-30 in the fourth set it could have been a different match.

“That level I was playing today will only get better. I have a feeling I'll be playing these top players more and going deeper in tournaments. I have confidence in the fact that I'm still improving.”

The racket flew out of Marat Safin's grasp and the ball soared over James Blake's head, landing just a whisker inside the baseline. Blake leant on the net, gripping it with both hands, incredulous. Safin, who had just procured a critical service break, retrieved his racket from the edge of the court.

The Russian, who served out the match 7-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 in the next game, said the racket had left his hand when it made contact with the ball as he lunged for a backhand volley at 4-3 in the fourth set.

"I thought I wouldn't get to the ball, so I just threw it," said Safin, who plays Andy Roddick tomorrow in the quarter-finals. "It was pure luck, just at the right moment. Normally it doesn't work."

Unorthodox technique aside, the former world No 1 is happy to be back on the tour after missing most of last season because of a wrist injury. Unseeded at Melbourne Park, he is regarded as a dangerous floater and is so far living up to that reputation. Blake, the world No 37, grew increasingly frustrated as Safin outwitted him at almost every turn.

The 24-year-old American was flabbergasted by the shot on break point, which followed a forehand down the line. "I'm not even sure if it was a legal shot," he said. "I've never seen an umpire make that call. Unfortunately it came on a huge point when I really should have put that forehand away."

Blake rated the odds of executing the shot as "maybe one per cent ... It's such a tough shot. Once the racket comes out of your hand, it loses so much power that to make that shot is kind of baffling."

The American put the Russian under pressure in the first two sets, but the latter stood firm, firing 12 of his 20 aces, two of them during the first set tie-break. Safin, the 2000 United States Open champion and runner-up in Melbourne in 2002, hustled through the second set but then let Blake slip past him during the third-set tie-break.

Safin, who won 145 points to Blake's 134, said he should have sewn up the three-hour, eight-minute match in the third set. "I was following him, waiting for his mistakes in the tie-breaker," he said. "Couldn't make the decision of making myself a point."

Blake, who equalled his previous best Grand Slam performance, said: "I thought maybe he'd get down a little bit after losing that third set, but he didn't. I guess he's been saying all along that he's back. Looks like he is."

The 23-year-old Russian said the break from tennis had been beneficial, giving him the space to reflect on his career. "It was really good," he said. "That's why afterwards I could find the motivation to come back." For him, each win plays its part in his rehabilitation. "I was a little scared to come back on the tour in case I wasn't able to win matches," he said. "You lose your confidence when you don't play for a long time. But once you start to play tennis again, the feelings come back."

Safin's talent and courage were never in doubt; it remains to be seen whether he has kicked the habit of drifting off to another planet at key moments during big matches.

He will need all his resources to beat Roddick, the top seed, who is in sensational form.