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Collision course Local favorites Kafelnikov, Safin struggle to advance
Updated: Thursday October 25, 2001 7:42 PM ST. PETERSBURG (Reuters) -- Russia's Yevgeny Kafelnikov survived a grueling test of endurance to beat teen-age compatriot Mikhail Youzhny 6-7, 7-6, 7-5 and reach the quarterfinals of the St. Petersburg Open on Thursday. Second-seeded Kafelnikov lost the first tiebreak 7-1, but saved a match point in the second tiebreak before taking it 8-6. He then got a decisive break against the 19-year-old in the 12th game of the final set to win in two hours and 44 minutes. Unseeded Belarussian Max Mirnyi knocked out big-serving Briton Greg Rusedski 7-6, 6-4 after wearing the seventh seed down in a marathon first set tiebreak, which ended 14-12. Rusedski wasted two set points at 6-4 in the tiebreak and missed another opportunity on his own serve at 11-10 when Mirnyi hit a return down the line. The Belarussian finally took the set when Rusedski netted an easy backhand. In the second set, Mirnyi broke Rusedski in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead and closed out the match with a powerful serve. Mirnyi, defeated by Germany's Tommy Haas in Sunday's Stuttgart Masters Series final, had beaten Rusedski in their only previous meeting at the Tennis Masters at Indian Wells last year but said the Briton had changed his strategy. "He played more aggressively and he tried to put extra spin on his returns, but I won the first set and it gave me more confidence," Mirnyi said. "It's always easier when you put your nose a little bit ahead." Rusedski had few excuses. "I felt like I played pretty well. It came down to a couple of points really. That's the way tennis goes," he said. "Max has been playing very well lately and if you are on a roll everything seems to go your way." Mirnyi faces a quarterfinal clash against German Rainer Schuettler, who knocked out top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain in the first round before beating Czech Daniel Vacek 6-2, 6-4 in round two. Defending champion and third seed Marat Safin of Russia also overcame a tough three-set match against unseeded Spaniard Alberto Martin before winning 6-7, 6-4, 7-6. "It wasn't my best match, but I was still able to pull myself through and it should give me the new confidence I will need in Paris," said Safin, who faces Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic in the last eight. Safin will be defending champion at next week's Tennis Masters Series event in Paris. "Although the way I am playing now, it will be hard for me to expect to win it again," he said. In the last match of the day, Austria's Stefan Koubek knocked out Ukrainian wild card Andrei Medvedev 7-6, 6-2 and will meet French qualifier Michael Llodra in the quarter finals. On Wednesday, Medvedev upset German fourth seed Tommy Haas for his first victory in four months.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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