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Safin falls in first round at Cincinnati
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Updated: 2001-08-08 09:44
With defense of his US Open crown looming ever closer, Russian Marat Safin was still searching for answers after falling in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters men's tennis tournament on Tuesday.
"I'm trying but it doesn't come," third seed Safin said after losing 6-3 6-3 to Argentine Guillermo Canas.
His face flushed from the intensely hot conditions, Safin added: "I'm a little bit lost. If only I can find the way.
"The problem is I need to find some confidence."
Last summer, Safin was a force to be reckoned with, winning the TMS-Canada title and reaching the final in Indianapolis before winning his first grand slam trophy at the US Open.
This year he has struggled with a back injury and has been in peak physical condition only since Wimbledon, where he reached the quarter-finals.
At 30-30 in the first set against Canas, Safin double-faulted to give his opponent a break-point opportunity and the Argentine made good to go ahead 4-2.
In the second set, Canas raced to a 4-0 lead. Safin recovered one service break in the eighth game but could not recoup the other break.
"I played bad -- that's it," Safin said. "Not many things happened. I'm okay physically and I'm trying but nothing is happening.
Following surgery for a career-threatening wrist injury, Canas has played confidently, winning at Casablanca and improving his ranking from 227th at the beginning of the year to 33rd this week.
"Now I'm more serious, more professional," Canas said. "I know I have the power to be a top 20 player. I have a second chance this year."
SAMPRAS THROUGH
For Pete Sampras, who has not won a trophy since last year's Wimbledon, the aim was to play efficiently and quickly to beat the heat and Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador.
Sampras, seeded ninth, kept to the plan and completed a 6-3 6-2 first-round victory in only 78 minutes.
"It was a sauna," Sampras said. "That was probably the hottest conditions I've played in this year. It was definitely toasty."
Sampras, who pulled out of the Montreal tournament last week with a thigh injury, says he is 100 percent healthy this week.
While the 25th-ranked Lapentti was able to capitalize on one of four break points in the match, in the sixth game of the second set, Sampras still had a 5-1 lead in the set and held serve in the eighth game to win the match.
"I've played Nicolas a few times before and I knew he had a big serve and big forehand and that he doesn't mind the heat that much," Sampras said.
"I wanted to start out very aggressive and put a bit of pressure on him. I wanted to use my serve-and-volley game and not stay in the back that much."
Sampras, who reached the Los Angeles final two weeks ago when he fell to Andre Agassi, admitted that he usually relied on his success at Wimbledon to jump-start his summer season.
Sampras, who won his record 13th grand slam trophy and seventh Wimbledon last year, was toppled at Wimbledon in the fourth round this year by Roger Federer of Switzerland.
"It really was disappointing and tough for me to be at home the second week of Wimbledon when I've usually been there playing," Sampras said.
"But I needed to be realistic and I know I cannot win every close match. I was a little bit bummed out but after four, five days it was time to move on. It was good therapy."
In other first-round matches, eighth seed Pat Rafter, beaten finalist last weekend in Montreal, easily outlasted Albert Portas of Spain 7-5 6-3 and sixth seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov won 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 against Andreas Vinciguerra of Sweden.
Defending champion Thomas Enqvist was sent packing by Nicolas Kiefer of Germany 6-4 6-0.
Boris Becker's return to the ATP tour was brief as the German and his doubles partner Goran Ivanisevic fell to top-seeded Jonas Bjorkman and Todd Woodbrige 6-3 6-2 in the first round.
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