By TERRY MADDAFORD
Marat Safin stood and delivered yesterday, but not without some anxious moments in his first Stanley St outing in three years.
Against Michael Chang, one of tennis' great battlers, the top-seeded Russian began with an ace and finished with three aces in his last service game en route to a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph.
"For the first match of the year it felt quite good," said Safin, the Heineken Open favourite. "I'm satisfied with my game."
While Chang remains a favourite in Auckland, the crowd will look forward to more from Safin this afternoon when he meets 1997 champion Swede Jonas Bjorkman, who beat Argentine Gaston Gaudio 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 in his 500th ATP singles match.
Looking further ahead, the prospect of a clash of the top two seeds in Safin and popular Croatian Goran Ivanisevic lives on. But, as top seed, Safin is in dangerous territory. Only four top seeds have won here in the past 20 years.
Third-seeded American Jan-Michael Gambill was ousted yesterday - a first-round casualty to the oldest player in the tournament and last year's beaten finalist, Francisco Clavet, of Spain.
Safin and Chang traded the opening games on serve before the American turned in a tradesmanlike, chase-everything-down effort to break Safin in the third, going on to a 5-1 lead.
Chang mixed it brilliantly. Whether whipping a cross-court winner or catching the advancing Safin with a great shot at his feet, Chang cruised home 6-4 in a 24-minute first set.
The dream start continued when he broke Safin, through a double-fault, in the first game of the second.
Playing his first real shot in anger, Safin passed Chang on the first point of the next game, forced Chang wide then long and, despite Chang's second ace, broke back with a great return deep into the backhand court. Sensing something was about to happen, the 1.93m Russian took off his cap.
He fired in a 190 km/h ace to go 2-1 ahead and broke Chang in the next for 3-1, stretched that to 4-1 and, after a real struggle, 5-2 before ending it, after 42 minutes, 6-3.
But even then Safin was still behind on the unforced errors and clean winners count.
Chang opened the deciding set strongly, but was broken in the third game before breaking back for 2-2.
Safin went 5-3 ahead before winning it 6-4 with an ace, another ace, a double fault, a ball out of court (for 30-30), an ace (his ninth) and the win when Chang was long.
"I like it here. The people like their tennis, their beer and their food," Safin said. "There is a friendly atmosphere on court. It's a long way to come, but it's worth it.
"Finally, I found my game. I was looking for my game and my confidence. Everything is perfect."
Chang was philosophical, despite his early exit. He reached the final two years ago.
"I had my opportunity," he said. "I thought I played some good tennis, but there were things I could have done better."
Asked about drawing a player of Safin's calibre so early, Chang said: "Sooner or later you are going to run into the best players in the world."
Ivanisevic, the Wimbledon champion, who followed Safin on to centre court and with his expectant contingent of fans looking for better than his one-shot wonder last time, traded games with Finn Jarkko Nieminen to 6-6 in the first set.
Despite nine aces to none, Ivanisevic could not get the break.
Nieminen served his first ace at 4-6 in the tiebreaker, but that was only a stay in the execution.
The second set was more to the fans' liking. More aces - including four straight in the fourth game, two of those from second serves - and breaks in the seventh and ninth games gave Ivanisevic the set 6-3.
"This time I decided to stay longer," Ivanisevic joked later. "To win is good. It does not matter how you play if you win."
He had a warning for future opponents, including Russian Mikhail Youzhny whom he plays second up on centre court today: "I can play better."
Gambill was never in it as Clavet played the game at his pace, winning 6-0, 7-6 (7-3).
After gracing centre court yesterday, 33-year-old Clavet, who has been on the tour since 1987, picking up eight titles, has been sent to an outside court today for his second round meeting with unseeded Argentine David Nalbandian.
Sixth seed Greg Rusedski, of Britain, last night beat Mariano Zabaleta, of Argentina, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
Today's schedule. -
Centre court (from 11 am): Jiri Novak v Fernando Vicente, followed by (not before 12.30 pm) Mikhail Youzhny v Goran Ivanisevic, Marat Safin v Jonas Bjorkman, Michel Kratochvil v Mark Nielsen, followed by (not before 7 pm) Felix Mantilla v Sjeng Schalken, Alistair Hunt/Dan Willman v Mahesh Bhupathi/Jeff Tarango.
Court four (from 11 am): Rick Leach/Ellis Ferreira v David Adams/Marius Barnard, Francisco Clavet v David Nalbandian, Greg Rusedski or Mariano Zabaleta v Michel Tabara, Gaston Gaudio/Nalbandian v Martin Garcia/Cyril Suk.
Court six (from 11 am): Jerome Golmard v Gilles Elseneer, John-Laffnie De Jager/Robbie Koenig v Petr Luxa/Novak.
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