TENNIS: An astonishing running forehand, scooped around the post for another stupendous winner, was the highlight of Roger Federer's 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 second-round victory over the Japanese qualifier Takao Suzuki. The win leaves all his opponents in the top half of the Australian Open draw wondering how they can cope when their time arrives.
Russia's Marat Safin, defeated by Federer in last year's final and seeded to meet him in next week's semi-finals, at least believes he is now benefiting from the advice of Peter Lundgren, Federer's former coach.
"He explains to me what I have to do. I have been learning from my mistakes. Now is the time to take advantage of it," said Safin.
The Russian still tends to bridle when it is suggested he has underachieved, having, as a 20-year-old, thrashed Pete Sampras in the final of the 2000 US Open. However, a smile is never very far from his lips.
"With all respect, I have been number one in the world and have won 14 tournaments, five of them Masters Series events. If you look at my portfolio, it's not such a bad career that I'm having. And two more finals of a grand slam also . . . sorry, I forgot."
And yet his supporters remain frustrated because on his day he has a game to rip apart all but Federer. He could be excused for losing to the Swiss last year, having just won two matches of epic proportions in the quarter- and semi-finals against Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi respectively, but the big disappointment was falling to Sweden's Thomas Johansson in the 2002 final here.
Safin has certainly made an impressive start, having dropped only 11 games in his two opening matches, including yesterday's 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Bohdan Ulihrach of the Czech Republic.
Tomorrow he plays the dangerous 20-year-old Croat Mario Ancic, the last player to defeat Federer, at Wimbledon in 2002.
This year sees a slimline Agassi. "It's just a by-product of my training. The strength-weight ratio was sort of what I was focused on. My strength kept going up and the weight went down," he said.
The hip problem that troubled him for much of last year, and which recurred in the build-up to the Australian Open, appeared a thing of the past during his second-round match against Germany's Rainer Schuttler. It turned out to be a reprise of the 2003 final except that this time he allowed Schuttler only four games compared with the five here last time.
Agassi is drawn to meet Federer in the quarter-finals. "Well, it would be nice to play against him because that means a couple more matches I would have won. And then it would be nice to be in a fifth set because that means I'm only one set away from beating him," the American smiled.
And as to winning, Agassi knows exactly what it would take. "You play a perfect match." The trouble is, that is what Federer keeps doing.
