PARIS - Marat Safin is playing his hottest tennis of
the year as the weather is cooling down.
The sixth seed from Russia, Safin, on Saturday reached his
second straight ATP Masters Series final with a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
triumph over No. 13 Guillermo Canas of Argentina.
No player ever has won back-to-back indoor Masters Series
events.
Safin, who overcame a twisted ankle to post his ninth
consecutive Masters Series victory, won the event at Madrid two
weeks ago. He improved to 21-3 since the U.S. Open, while Canas
slipped to 13-4 since the year's final Grand Slam.
"I had to be really focused against Canas as he's the same kind
of player as (Lleyton) Hewitt, running everything down and
making you play a lot of shots," Safin said. "I also had to be
extra careful after twisting the ankle in the second game, so I
am very pleased with the outcome."
Safin needed treatment on the court but won the first set with a
pair of service breaks, then rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the
second set.
Safin awaits Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic, who rallied
to defeat Max Mirnyi of Belarus, 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, in a
matchup of qualifiers.
Stepanek is the first qualifier to reach a Master Series final
since Mirnyi accomplished the feat at Stuttgart in 2001.
The last qualifier to win a Masters Series event was Albert
Portas at Hamburg in 2001.
"The final is perfect for me," Stepanek said. "I'm very happy
for that, but I still have one match coming tomorrow. I'm going
to prepare for that match as I did the whole week. I'm going to
try to take the crown with me home."
With wins here in 2000 and 2002, Safin is looking to join Boris
Becker as the only three-time winners of the event.