Roddick set for Safin collision

MELBOURNE – Andy Roddick and Marat Safin, travelling down distinctly different roads yesterday, headed for an explosive third-round collision at the Australian Open.

The American sixth seed came out firing against Frenchman Marc Gicquel and accelerated to a 6-3 7-6 6-4 win. Safin, champion in 2005, again chose a more winding route.He made things difficult for himself as he was stretched to five sets for a second successive match before steering past Israeli qualifier Dudi Sela 6-3 5-7 4-6 7-6 6-0.The Russian has now won 26 of 37 five-set matches in his career but cannot afford such lapses against a man who owns the fastest serve in the game.Champions Roger Federer and Amelie Mauresmo put tennis back under the spotlight at Melbourne Park after the opening days’ troubles.On-court action during the first two days of the grand slam was overshadowed by brawling fans and the sweltering conditions.On Wednesday, Federer set the agenda as his pursuit of a 10th grand slam title gathered pace with a 6-2 6-3 6-2 win over Swedish doubles exponent Jonas Bjorkman.Mauresmo enjoyed an even more one-sided 6-2 6-2 success against Russian teenager Olga Poutchkova, although one incident brought into question the validity of the instant replay technology being used at the event for the first time.Mauresmo challenged a call against her on set point in the first set but a confusing television graphic showed the ball had bounced beyond the baseline, with the caption reading ‘IN’, leading the chair umpire to ask the players to replay the point.Federer, meanwhile, sealed victory in 95 minutes and extended his perfect record to 5-0 against Bjorkman, who has never won a set off the Swiss maestro.Up next for Federer is 25th seed and US Open semi-finalist Mikhail Youzhny, although one player the Swiss great will not be facing is Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.The enigmatic 11th seed, whose fairytale run to last year’s final was ended by Federer, lost in four sets to Gael Monfils, who now meets fellow 20-year-old Frenchman Richard Gasquet.While Federer barely broke sweat, WTA chairman Larry Scott said the tournament’s extreme heat policy needed a review after Tuesday’s sizzling temperatures caused distress to competitors.He was speaking after women’s top seed Maria Sharapova struggled to last the distance in her match on Tuesday.Federer said: “It’s not only the heat from the sun, but especially from underneath.This is what’s really killing the players.The feet are just on fire.”Twice former champion Serena Williams staggered and then powered her way to a 7-6 6-2 victory.With fifth seed Nadia Petrova up next for the American, she will not want her mind wandering as it did on Wednesday.Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Petrova seemed to be in a hurry to get out of the humid conditions after both ended up on the casualty list at last week’s Sydney International.Third seed Kuznetsova romped past Australian wildcard Monique Adamczak 6-2 6-1 and number five Petrova was equally emphatic in her 6-1 6-2 win over Argentine Gisela Dulko.Seventh seed Elena Dementieva also progressed.The Russians were joined in the third round by in-form Serbian 11th seed Jelena Jankovic, a 6-2 6-2 winner over Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain.With Tuesday’s draining conditions having caused the suspension of many matches, seeds Patty Schnyder, Dinara Safina and Daniela Hantuchova were all relieved to win their delayed first-round matches in straight sets.Serbian 14th seed Novak Djokovic’s run towards a possible fourth-round showdown with Federer gathered momentum when he hurtled past Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-2 7-5 6-1.Nampa-ReutersSafin, champion in 2005, again chose a more winding route.He made things difficult for himself as he was stretched to five sets for a second successive match before steering past Israeli qualifier Dudi Sela 6-3 5-7 4-6 7-6 6-0.The Russian has now won 26 of 37 five-set matches in his career but cannot afford such lapses against a man who owns the fastest serve in the game.Champions Roger Federer and Amelie Mauresmo put tennis back under the spotlight at Melbourne Park after the opening days’ troubles.On-court action during the first two days of the grand slam was overshadowed by brawling fans and the sweltering conditions.On Wednesday, Federer set the agenda as his pursuit of a 10th grand slam title gathered pace with a 6-2 6-3 6-2 win over Swedish doubles exponent Jonas Bjorkman.Mauresmo enjoyed an even more one-sided 6-2 6-2 success against Russian teenager Olga Poutchkova, although one incident brought into question the validity of the instant replay technology being used at the event for the first time.Mauresmo challenged a call against her on set point in the first set but a confusing television graphic showed the ball had bounced beyond the baseline, with the caption reading ‘IN’, leading the chair umpire to ask the players to replay the point.Federer, meanwhile, sealed victory in 95 minutes and extended his perfect record to 5-0 against Bjorkman, who has never won a set off the Swiss maestro.Up next for Federer is 25th seed and US Open semi-finalist Mikhail Youzhny, although one player the Swiss great will not be facing is Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.The enigmatic 11th seed, whose fairytale run to last year’s final was ended by Federer, lost in four sets to Gael Monfils, who now meets fellow 20-year-old Frenchman Richard Gasquet.While Federer barely broke sweat, WTA chairman Larry Scott said the tournament’s extreme heat policy needed a review after Tuesday’s sizzling temperatures caused distress to competitors.He was speaking after women’s top seed Maria Sharapova struggled to last the distance in her match on Tuesday.Federer said: “It’s not only the heat from the sun, but especially from underneath.This is what’s really killing the players.The feet are just on fire.”Twice former champion Serena Williams staggered and then powered her way to a 7-6 6-2 victory.With fifth seed Nadia Petrova up next for the American, she will not want her mind wandering as it did on Wednesday.Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Petrova seemed to be in a hurry to get out of the humid conditions after both ended up on the casualty list at last week’s Sydney International.Third seed Kuznetsova romped past Australian wildcard Monique Adamczak 6-2 6-1 and number five Petrova was equally emphatic in her 6-1 6-2 win over Argentine Gisela Dulko.Seventh seed Elena Dementieva also progressed.The Russians were joined in the third round by in-form Serbian 11th seed Jelena Jankovic, a 6-2 6-2 winner over Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain.With Tuesday’s draining conditions having caused the suspension of many matches, seeds Patty Schnyder, Dinara Safina and Daniela Hantuchova were all relieved to win their delayed first-round matches in straight sets.Serbian 14th seed Novak Djokovic’s run towards a possible fourth-round showdown with Federer gathered momentum when he hurtled past Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-2 7-5 6-1.Nampa-Reuters