Safin Is Still on His Game

U.S. Open champion Marat Safin won another title before heading to the Olympics as he defeatedItaly’s Davide Sanguinetti, 6-3, 6-4, in the final of the President’s Cup at Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Safin, seeded second in the $500,000 tournament, will be the No. 1 player for Russia at Sydney.

This was his fifth title this year and sixth overall for the 20-year-old.

In April, he emerged from a slump that almost prompted him to quit tennis, winning in Barcelona, Mallorca and Toronto, and then the U.S. Open.

Safin came to the Uzbekistan tournament fresh from becoming the first Russian to win the U.S. Open, defeating Pete Sampras in the final.

Justin Gimelstob and Scott Humphries of the United States won the doubles title, beating South Africans Marius Barnard and Robbie Koenig 6-3, 6-2.

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Juan Balcells of Spain won his first ATP Tour title, beating Markus Hantschk of Germany, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (1), in the final of the $375,000 Gelsor Open at Bucharest, Romania.

It was first ATP Tour victory for the unseeded Balcells, who is ranked 115th tin the world. Hantschk, also unseeded, is ranked 79th.

Balcells had little trouble in the first set. Hantschk used accurate passing shots to win the second set and take an early lead in the third. He applied pressure throughout the set but missed two match points.