After finishing a late match, Safin was already focused on the semifinals, or at least getting out of his post-match conference.
"I was quick to find my game today," Safin said. "It's already 10pm -- by the time I get to the hotel and have dinner it will be time to sleep, so I didn't want to be here too long."
Saturday's line-up for the semifinals is (5) Safin vs. Nieminen (Russian leads career meetings 3-1), and (6) Thai Fighter vs. Youzhny (Srichaphan leads 1-0).
Seeds Spadea, Baby Goran Into Semifinals at ATP Delray Beach
There were a lot of "firsts" Friday at the ATP stop in Delray Beach, with more to come.
For unseeded 30-year-old American Jeff Salzenstein (d. Rusedski) and unseeded Brazilian Ricardo Mello "Yello" (d. Golmard in three) it was reaching their career-first ATP semifinals.
"This is a very good moment in my career as a player," said Mello Yello. "In the US Open, I got through qualifying and into the third round, and then into the Top 100. I'm taking advantage of this moment and it's increasing my confidence."
Salzenstein pounded out 14 aces to the Briton's eight, and in journeyman fashion afterwards attributed his win to luck.
For No. 3 seed Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic (d. Carlsen), it is keeping alive the possibility of winning a career-first title. Ancic is the highest-ranked player on the ATP without a title.
Top-seeded Vince Spadea (d. (Q) Armando in three) reached his first Delray Beach semifinal in seven attempts.
"He was playing pretty loose in the second set," said Spadea on the three-set win. "I had a slow start and I got down a break. I didn't keep up my high level from the first set. I didn't play that aggressive. I was playing somewhat tentative in the second set...This tournament's always meant a little more to me. I've just never had the results I've wanted to here. I'm just trying to focus on using the energy I have close to home, and keep the momentum going."
Saturday's semifinal meetings are (3) Ancic vs. Mello (first meeting) and (1) Spadea vs. Salzenstein (Spadea leads career meetings 1-0, winning earlier this year on the grass at Newport in three sets).
German Mayer Leads Seeds Into ATP Bucharest Semifinals
No. 2 seed Florian Mayer of Germany (d. (6) Ferrer) led three seeds into the Bucharest semifinals on the red dirt Friday, including (4) Igor Andreev (d. Mantilla), (7) Filippo Volandri (d. Hanescu), and unseeded Argentine Jose Acasuso (d. Mathieu), all in straight sets.
"I beat a very good claycourt player," said Mayer of the former champ Ferrer. "I played much better than in the last round and I'm very happy to have reached the semifinals. Igor Andreev is a very strong player, he has an unbelievable forehand but if I can take my chances I think I have a very good change to reach the final."
Saturday's semifinals line up as (2) Mayer vs. (4) Andreev (first meeting), and (7) Volandri vs. Acasuso (tied 1-1).
Kuznetsova Beats Local to Advance to WTA Bali Semifinals
While admittedly tired after her stunning run at the US Open, Svetlana Kuznetsova's decision to honor her commitment to the WTA Bali event continued to pay dividends Friday as she advanced to the semifinals with a win over Indonesian wildcard Angelique Widjaja 7-5, 6-1.
"In each tournament you have to play tough matches against various players and today was one of those tough days," Kuznetsova said. "Angie is a nice person, she did well in her junior period. Although now she has injuries she has improved."
Kuznetsova's Russian countrywoman Nadia Petrova was the only other seeded player into the semis, with the No. 4 seed defeating Italy's Tatiana Garbin in straight sets.
Two unseeded players also advanced into the semis in Italy's Maria Elena Camerin (d. (7) Gisela "Sgt." Dulko in three), and Germany's Marlene Weingartner (d. Cho in three).
Saturday's semifinal line-up will be (4) Petrova vs. (2) Kuznetsova (Kuznetsova won their only meeting at the 2004 US Open), and Camerin vs. Weingartner (the German won their only meeting this year at the French Open).
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Tough decision for Aussie Davis Cup captain John Fitzgerald next weekend with Mark Philippoussis out of the line-up with injury. Does he go with veteran serving machine Wayne Arthurs, who has lost much of his competitive edge and is on the verge of retirement, or with untested youngster Todd Reid who had a nice pre-Aussie Open run with a couple tour quarterfinals? Aussie fans, discuss...Serb Jelena Jankovic is getting the Serena bug: "I have been asked to do comedic acting in Serbia. I was offered a role in a movie in Serbia...It's fun to do something besides tennis -- acting or anything that allows you to get your mind off tennis...I think sports are becoming more like show business, so a lot of athletes are doing other things like modeling, acting."...This is the first week that two Russians (Anastasia Myskina, Elena Dementieva) have ever ranked in the Top 5 on the WTA Tour Rankings. Serena Williams is back in the Top 10 at No. 10...The South Australian Supreme Court has given Lleyton Hewitt the OK to proceed with his multi-million dollar anti-defamation and breach of contract suit against the ATP regarding the media incident at the 2002 Masters Series-Cincinnati, can't shake off the bulldog...The German Tennis Federation has sold its 1.3-million-dollar Berlin WTA event to the Gulf state of Qatar for 6.7 million Euros, Federation president Georg von Waldenfels told Bild newspaper. Oil money is where it's at...Marat Safin says he has found his mojo once again: "It was quite easy for me to find my game. I'm playing much better. I'm quite confident on the court."...While travelling the tour, Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic is studying pre-law at the University of Split in Croatia...Ouch, what a bad loss for "Grinning" Greg Rusedski at Delray, 30-year-old journeyman Jeff Salzenstein, both players should have retired after that match...From the New York Post: "Cleaning crews hired to work at the US Open were furious their paychecks arrived hours later and dollars smaller than expected, inciting a dispute with their employer yesterday that had to be broken up by police."...We are leading the drive for websites to stop running that pic of Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic with his mouth wide open, which is currently on multiple websites (see ESPN); looks like an alien snake creature about to expand his jaw and swallow a linesperson...Word from the East is that oft-arguing Indians Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes, the only doubles team to ever reach four slam finals in the same year in 1999, will try and make up for their non-medal effort at the Athens Olympics by teaming at the ATP stop in Thailand later this year, and will shoot for competing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
When the smoke cleared Friday in the quarterfinals at the ATP stop in Beijing, Marat Safin, still seeking his first title of 2004, was the highest seed remaining.