Safin finds power to leave Seppi in the dark

There have been plenty of times when Marat Safin's temper might have earned him the soubriquet "prince of darkness", but there were other reasons why it seemed appropriate here last night. The lights on the scoreboard shone even more brightly than Safin's tennis as the Russian completed a 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 third-round victory over Andreas Seppi at 9.25pm. By that stage it was so dark that it was a wonder either player could see the ball. It was a high-quality contest, with both players striking the ball with power and precision from the baseline. If Safin's flatter strokes were more effective, Seppi's whipped forehand also produced a flow of winners. Safin, who knocked out Novak Djokovic in the previous round, started slowly, losing the first three games, but broke back in the seventh. At 5-5 a huge backhand cross-court... [read full story]