Roddick, Safin, Baghdatis advance at Australian Open; Nalbandian eliminated

Russian Marat Safin, the 2005 champion, cruised to victory on Wednesday at the Australian Open in Melbourne, while seventh-seeded American Andy Roddick (pictured) was pushed to the limit en route to a four-set win over Belgian Xavier Malisse. Also victorious was 2006 finalist Marcos Baghdatis, who pulled off an upset victory over No. 16 Robin Soderling on Show Court 2, while No. 10 David Nalbandian lost his bid for a chance to win his first Grand Slam title, losing to Yen-Hsun Lu.

Determined to turn around his career with the addition of Larry Stefanki as coach, Roddick came from behind to defeat Malisse, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(1), 6-2, in two hours and 43 minutes to improve to 8-0 lifetime against the Belgian. The 26-year-old smashed 19 aces, while only hitting 27 unforced errors compared to 11 aces and 50 unforced errors by Malisse. A three-time semifinalist in Melbourne, Roddick hit 45 winners, won 60 of 72 first serve points and broke serve on five occasions. Roddick will next face French veteran Fabrice Santoro, who at the age of 36, became the oldest male player to win two straight matches at the Australian Open since 1978, winning 5-7, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, in three hours and 56 minutes.

Struggling with several injuries over the last couple years, Baghdatis was able to overcome a slow start in the first set and a half to beat Soderling, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3, in two hours and 58 minutes. The Cypriot smashed 13 aces, hit 38 winners and broke serve eight times. Soderling, who was looking to reach the third round in Melbourne for the first time in his career, only managed to make 51 percent on first serves and sluggishly hit 69 unforced errors in the loss. Baghdatis will clash in the third round against No. 23 Mardy Fish, a 6-4, 6-1, 7-5, winner over Italian Simone Bolelli. The match will be the first meeting between the pair.

Announcing earlier this year that 2009 will be his last season as a professional tennis player, Safin powered his way past Spaniard Garcia-Lopez, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2. The Russian smashed 18 aces past his opponent, while winning 85 percent of first serve points. The former World No. 1 hit 31 winners compared to 23 unforced errors. Safin was also able to break serve on 5 of 12 chances, while Garcia-Lopez was unsuccessful during his two break point opportunities. Safin will next face No. 2 Federer, an easy 6-2, 6-3, 6-1, winner over Russian qualifier Evgeny Korolev. Federer owns a 9-2 edge against Safin, but Safin won their last meeting, 9-7 in the fifth-set in the semifinals at the Australian Open in 2005.

Currently ranked No. 61 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, Lu shocked World No. 11 Nalbandian, 6-4, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, in three hours and 55 minutes. Lu, who advances to the third round for the first time in any Grand Slam tournament, smashed nine aces and 51 winners past the Argentine. Winner of last week’s Medibank International in Sydney, Nalbandian committed 61 unforced errors in his eighth appearance in Melbourne.

Other Second Round Results from Wednesday
No. 3 Novak Djokovic def. Jeremy Chardy, 7-5, 6-1, 6-3
No. 8 Juan Martin Del Potro def. Florian Mayer, 6-1, 7-5, 6-2
No. 11 David Ferrer def. Dominik Hrbaty, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1
No. 15 Stanislas Wawrinka def. Brydan Klein, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
No. 19 Marin Cilic def. Janko Tipsarevic, 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
No. 20 Tomas Berdych def. Brian Dabul, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3
No. 21 Tommy Robredo def. Viktor Troicki, 6-1, 6-3, 6-0
Amer Delic def. No. 28 Paul-Henri Mathieu, 1-6, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3), 9-7
Gilles Muller def. Bernard Tomic, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2