A Shaky Safin Gives Russia Second Davis Cup Title

A nervous Marat Safin won the decisive match of the 2006 Davis Cup final yesterday, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 7–6(5), over Jose Acasuso of Argentina, giving Russia a 3–2 victory over Argentina and its second Cup. His most important contribution of the weekend, however, came a day earlier, in doubles.When David Nalbandian defeated Safin in singles on Friday, the Russian team — playing in front of 10,000 fans hoping to witness their country clinch a title at home for the first time — was in a bind. Nikolay Davydenko leveled the match at 1–1 by defeating Juan Ignacio Chela, but Russia’s best doubles player, Mikhail Youzhny, hadn’t played since spraining his ankle in October. Safin was forced to fill in, and then play singles again yesterday.Before the contest began, Russia was the strong favorite. It had chosen the indoor, rubberized surface, and had a deeper team than Argentina, which was relying on Nalbandian and several interchangeable players. Had Safin and his partner, Dmitry Tursunov, lost on Saturday, Russia almost certainly would have suffered an upset. Remarkably, Safin and Tursunov defeated Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri in just over an hour and a half, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4. They served a combined 70% on first serves and fired 11 aces; neither man faced a break point on his serve the entire match.Their victory gave Russia a 2–1 lead. It also did little to tax the oft-injured Safin, giving Russia’s captain, Shamil Tarpishchev, the option of calling upon Safin again yesterday rather than Tursunov. Nalbandian defeated Davydenko 6–2, 6-2, 4–6, 6–4 in yesterday’s first match — a predictable outcome marred by unpredictably miserable play from Davydenko, who double faulted eight times and committed 76 unforced errors (afterward, he said nerves had gotten the better of him). The title came down to Safin and Acasuso, who was chosen over Chela by Argentine captain Alberto Mancini.The talented and temperamental Safin is a far better player than Acasuso, who, you’ll remember, defeated Andy Roddick at the 2005 French Open after trailing two sets to none. Of course, facts don’t often matter with Safin, the only man on tour who continues to dispute the accuracy of tennis’ instant replay technology. He hasn’t won a singles title since the 2005 Australian Open, and he has missed a lot of time with a knee injury. When he has played, he has not been consistent, motivated, or sensible enough. After yesterday’s match, he admitted he was scared.For a moment in the third set yesterday, it seemed Safin might choke. He blew a 4–1 lead and let Acasuso get back on serve at 3–4. Acasuso, struggling with a foot injury, promptly gave the set away, dumping three consecutive forehands into the net to hand Safin a 5–3 lead. The two played to a draw in the fourth set before Safin pulled ahead in the tiebreaker. Acasuso had a chance to level the tiebreaker when he served at 5–6,but he smacked another forehand into the net, giving Russia the cup.The victory salvaged a poor season for Safin (34–24, no titles), and made up for some very average performances at the Davis Cup this year (he finished with a 2–2 record in singles and 1–0 in doubles). It also ended Russia’s home-court hex in the final. (They hosted the final in 1994 and 1995,losing to Sweden and the United States, which received three points from Pete Sampras.) Winning the Davis Cup at home was the only thing that Russia’s captain, Tarpishchev, had yet to achieve in his long tenure over Russian tennis. (Tarpishchev also coaches Russia’s women in the Federation Cup; the Russians will be favorites next year as Maria Sharapova leads them for the first time.)For Argentina, the heartbreak continues. In the past five years, it has been one of the strongest tennis nations in the world, but its players have won only one Grand Slam title, and several have been banned for using performance-enhancing drugs. This weekend, Nalbandian’s two singles victories were not enough. Diego Maradona, the soccer legend who traveled with the team leading an at times obnoxious cheering section, could not tip the balance, either. Argentina played its first Davis Cup in 1921, and it has never won. Its only other trip to the final came in 1981, against America.Acasuso was in tears after the match, but he can stand tall. Playing Marat Safin on the road in the decisive match of the Davis Cup is no easy task. Safin had played on a winning Davis Cup team, and the surface was in his favor (Acasuso is not a typical Argentine claycourter, however; he hits a huge first serve and is comfortable on hard courts). Rather than blame Acasuso, fans of Argentina might wonder why he did not play doubles, too. He is far more experienced in that regard than Nalbandian, and holds four career titles — Nalbandian has none. What’s more, Acasuso’s strength — his serve — is Nalbandian’s weakness. On Saturday, Nalbandian lost his first three service games as Russia got out to a fast start.This is not to say, however, that Mancini is guilty of poor coaching. He had far less to work with than Russia. While Acasuso, Calleri, and Chela are solid players, they are not capable of dominating opponents. Russia, by comparison, was stocked with explosive players: Safin; Tursunov, who is probably the Davis Cup M.V.P. for his doubles play and a five-set victory over Andy Roddick that clinched a spot in the final; the durable Davydenko, ranked no. 3 in the world; and Youzhny, who strutted his stuff at the U.S. Open this year, defeating Rafael Nadal en route to the semifinals. In tennis, Russia is rich, and a deserving Davis Cup champion once again.tperrotta@nysun.com

A Shaky Safin Gives Russia Second Davis Cup Title

A Shaky Safin Gives Russia Second Davis Cup Title

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