Safin Victory Worth the Wait

Marat Safin joined the illustrious trio of Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Boris Becker when he won his second Paris Indoor Open title here at Bercy yesterday, defeating the Australian world No1 Lleyton Hewitt 7-6, 6-0, 6-4.

It was the 22-year-old Russian's first title for 15 months, and a final too far for Hewitt, 21, whose recurring virus problems have undoubtedly affected his play since he was beaten in the US Open semi- final by Agassi in September.

The last time Hewitt lost a five-set match in straight sets was in the 2001 French Open when he was beaten by Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero, and nobody had taken a set off him to love since the Italian Open two years ago. But at least his efforts over the past week appear to have ensured that he will retain his position as the world's leading player at the end of the season.

The year's final tournament, the Tennis Masters Cup, begins in Shanghai a week tomorrow with Hewitt holding a substantial points lead over Agassi, his only rival for the top spot. And if Hewitt gets to the final in China, Agassi cannot overtake him, even if he beats him. "I think Lleyton will be the world No1, and he deserves to be," said Safin.

Before yesterday the Russian's year had been one of missed chances, none more so than in Melbourne last January when he lost to Sweden's Thomas Johansson in the Australian Open final. Had he won there Safin, the US Open champion in 2000, might well have gone on to dominate the game, but his confidence deserted him and, try as he might, he could not add to his previous 10 career titles. That is, until yesterday.

Autumn in Paris, when the boulevards are thick with fallen leaves, appears to bring out the best in Safin, for this was his third final at the Palais Omnisport in the past four years. And Australians are good for him too. Having lost to Agassi in 1999, he defeated Melbourne's Mark Philippoussis the next year, although that victory needed a tie-breaker in the fifth set.

Becker, with three Paris Open Indoor titles, remains top of the list, with Safin now snuggling up with Agassi and Sampras, all with two. Perhaps, like that trio, Safin will win Wimbledon one day. Nothing is beyond the compass of this young man's power and talent. The one doubt is his temperament, although on this occasion he was calmness personified.

"You know Lleyton will fight and fight and fight until you break. If you show him that you are broken, the match is finished," said Safin, who will return to this stadium at the end of the month when Russia play France in the Davis Cup final. The only differences will be the surface, which will be clay, and the level of crowd support against him.

Safin's is a high-risk game, because he rarely goes for percentage shots. This may change as the years pass, but for the moment he is very much dependent on confidence, and when he arrived in Paris it was not terribly high.

"I was frustrated. I felt I was almost there, but finally I have done it. It was a big present from Lleyton."

If this was an acknowledgement that Hewitt was some way short of his best, it was a view that Hewitt confirmed. "My expectations were not that high this week, and if I hadn't been playing for No1 the chances are I probably would not have come. I had to try and get some runs on the board, which obviously gives me a little more confidence going into Shanghai."

Not that it was a gimme for Safin. The two had met six times previously and were tied at 3-3. The Russian has been striving for greater variation in his serve but, when he squandered a break in the opening set to allow Hewitt back from 3-1 down, it appeared the old inconsistencies were resurfacing. "I had a lot of chances to get back into the match but when you give Marat a start he's very tough to peg back," said Hewitt, referring to the loss of that first set.

Thereafter Hewitt's resistance was little more than cosmetic. "I think the second set was just perfect for me," said Safin, who appears likely to finish the year as the world No3, having dropped out of the top 10 last year. "Sometimes you have great days, some days are a little more difficult. But I'm enjoying my sport and I'm happy to be here in Paris instead of cleaning the streets in Moscow. It's wonderful to win again, especially at the end of the season."

Cédric Pioline announced his retirement from the sport at 33 after he and Gustavo Kuerten lost the doubles final. Pioline reached two grand slam finals, losing to Pete Sampras in the US Open in 1993 and again at Wimbledon in 1997. He was also part of two French Davis Cup triumphs.