Safin dominates in first round
Tuesday, 15 January, 2008
By Adele Holland
Marat Safin dominated his first round match today, defeating 19-year-old Ernests Gulbis in straight sets.
Gulbis who is playing in his first Australian Open showed promise against tennis veteran Safin today, taking the Russian to a tiebreaker in the last set.
The two players were a display of contrast today, the up-and-coming youngster in a fluorescent green shirt, versus Safin, a previous Australian Open Champion, in traditional white.
Both players were serving at enormous speeds, but Safin showed his Grand Slam experience, with only one double fault compared with six from Gulbis.
Gulbis adopted his opponents on-court temper, throwing his racquet at the ground and shaking his head each time his shot hit the net. The young Latvian had 43 unforced errors, compared with Safin's 27.
Safin will play Marcos Baghdatis in the second round.