Knowing that it's Marat Safin's 25th birthday, I should've figured that he's gonna want this match to be a birthday gift. Instead, I've decided early on that Federer is going to win, given his ice-cool rock-solid performance, compared to Safin's unpredictable temperament. Wrong analysis.Federer played things safe at the start of the match. Safin is keeping his temper in check pretty well, too. By the third set, cracks started appear in the Swiss armour. Federer's unforced errors are starting to pile up. Safin's returns are becoming more consistent and accurate. At one point, Federer threw down his racket in frustration. He started grimacing with every error, and cheering himself up with every point. He managed to save six matchpoints, but at the end of 4 hours and 28 minutes, Safin won 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 9-7, ending Federer's 26-match winning streak.
The match is so intense and evenly matched, I got a headache just watching. Happy birthday, Safin!
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