Tennis: Superb Safin too sassy

Marat Safin won the Australian Open tennis title early today against Lleyton Hewitt. Picture / Reuters

MELBOURNE - Marat Safin turned Lleyton Hewitt's Australian Open dream into his worst nightmare overnight with a spirited display in the first final held under lights at Melbourne Park.

The fourth-seeded Russian rallied from a set down to triumph 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 and add a second Grand Slam trophy to his 2000 US Open title.

Hewitt had been bidding to become the first Australian champion since unseeded Mark Edmondson upset John Newcombe in the 1976 final.

But an unexpected mid-match collapse destroyed the 23-year-old's hopes of grabbing his third major crown.

The 2001 US Open champion and 2002 Wimbledon winner appeared in control when he opened up a 3-0 lead in the most pivotal of third sets.

But Hewitt lost his composure after a linesman foot-faulted him and, with the door slightly ajar, Safin seized the moment to reel off seven straight games and motor to a set and a break up.

He never looked back and eventually prevailed after two hours and 45 minutes.

Hewitt could not have hoped for a better start, breaking Safin in the second game for a 2-0 lead as unforced errors threatened to cripple the Russian.

Hewitt produced a signature top-spin lob winner and crosscourt forehand pass to grab a second service break to go ahead 5-1 before holding to love for a second time to close out the set in just 23 minutes.

Australia's former world No 1 dropped just two points on serve in the opening set and the writing appeared on the wall early for the temperamental Safin, who was looking dejected and anything but a winner.

But Hewitt was quick to give up his advantage, committing a batch of mistakes to drop serve in the fourth game to fall behind 3-1.

The big Russian was able to hang tough enough to finish off the set after 42 minutes.

The tension reached boiling point in the second game of the third set, with both players exploding in anger and frustration.

First, chair umpire Carlos Ramos correctly overruled in Safin's favour with the Russian serving at deuce and under pressure, prompting a violent verbal attack from Hewitt.

"You idiot," Hewitt fired at the Portuguese official.

"Bullcrap. Bullcrap."

Perhaps unnerved, Safin flayed a forehand long to concede a break and 2-0 deficit before smashing his racquet into the court, for the third time in the game, in disgust.

Then, down 3-0, the 25-year-old Muscovite opted for a medical timeout at the next changeover to receive some massage. It was a smart move, with Safin breaking back in the seventh game.

Then, serving at 4-2 but down a break point, Hewitt fired off an ace only for a linesman to call a foot fault against him.

Hewitt managed to fend off the break point but nevertheless angrily cursed the linesman after winning the point, prompting a code violation from the umpire.

But much worse was to follow for Hewitt, who lost five straight games to drop the most pivotal of sets after leading it, at one point, 4-1.

* Australian pair Scott Draper and Samantha Stosur won the mixed doubles 6-2, 2-6, 10-6 beating Kevin Ullyett of Zimbabwe and Liezel Huber of South Africa.

- AAP