By Simon Cambers
MELBOURNE, Jan 17 - A frustrated Marat Safin
exited the Australian Open on Thursday, beaten 6-4 6-4 2-6 3-6
6-2 by Cypriot 15th seed Marcos Baghdatis in an enthralling
second-round battle in Melbourne.
In a match of the highest quality, 2006 runner-up Baghdatis
dominated the early stages but Safin roared back to level, only
for the Cypriot to come out on top in the decider after three
hours, 13 minutes
When Baghdatis won the first two sets it looked as if Safin
would fall away but the former world number one lifted his game
at the start of the third set, showing the kind of form that
took him to the title three years ago.
The Russian ripped through sets three and four but
Baghdatis broke in the second game of the final set and again
in the eighth to set up a third-round clash with another former
world number one, Australian Lleyton Hewitt.
(Editing by Ed Osmond)