Freak shot sparks Safin to victory
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Safin will play Roddick on his 24th birthday.
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 I think I just threw it, you know. Normally, it doesn't work this way. Just once a year. 
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-- Marat Safin
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MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuters) -- A freak volley sparked Marat Safin to a pulsating 7-6 6-3 6-7 6-3 victory over American James Blake at the Australian Open on Sunday, taking the former world number one into the quarter-finals.
The Russian will play current number one Andy Roddick in a potentially explosive Melbourne showdown on Tuesday, Safin's 24th birthday.
Safin, who has slipped to 86th in the rankings after an injury-plagued 2003, pulled off an astonishing backhand volley to open a 5-3 lead in the fourth set and end Blake's hopes of a comeback.
Leading by two sets to one, Safin lunged to his left after a crunching Blake forehand, losing his racket as his return volley dipped over his opponent's head and dropped just inside the baseline.
"It was just pure luck," shrugged Safin, runner-up in Melbourne two years ago. "I don't know how it happened. It was not like I planned to play it. At the right moment, just pure luck -- 100 percent."
Safin joked: "I think I just threw it, you know. Normally, it doesn't work this way. Just once a year."
Meanwhile, Blake questioned whether the shot was legal as Safin's racket flew off the court the instant he played the volley. Under the rules a player's hand must be in contact with his racket when he plays a shot.
"I'd love to see a replay. I'm not sure if it was actually even a legal shot," said the American, whose 50 unforced errors undermined a gritty performance.
"Unfortunately it came on a huge point when I really thought I should have put that forehand away. I've never seen an umpire make that call. It's probably way too tough to make."
Safin played a clinical first-set tiebreak to win it 7-3 and rolled through the second set after taking a time-out to treat his blistered left foot.
A determined Blake hit back to take the third-set tiebreak 8-6 with a scorching backhand down the line.
But Safin dug in to avoid a fifth set against a player who had beaten him at the Hopman Cup earlier this month, wrapping up victory after three hours eight minutes.
"It was like I should have finished it in the third set," said the 2000 U.S. Open champion.
"Fourth set, I was struggling and my legs were getting tired a little bit. The fifth set is a lottery so it was really important for me to make the break in the fourth set and I was lucky to come up with that shot. Thanks, God."
Copyright 2004
Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
