Safin and Kuerten struggle in Lyon
Chrystel Boulet
Top seed Marat Safin struggled to beat 16-year-old Richard Gasquet 6-4, 7-6 in the first round of the $800,000 Lyon Grand Prix tournament on Tuesday.
The French Open and U.S. Open junior champion saved two match points in the second set to come back to 5-5 and survived a break point in the next game as he went on to force a tiebreak.
But world number four Safin prevailed, winning the tiebreak 7-5 with a powerful forehand which left the French teenager stranded in the middle of the court.
"It's not easy to face a player such as Safin on hard-court. I had the feeling I was a bit tight in my game and in my mind but it's a good experience," Gasquet said.
Safin said: "I'm glad I won in two sets as I'm going to play every week until the end of season because I want to finish the year as the world number one."
In the last match of the day, former world number one Gustavo Kuerten recovered from losing a first-set tiebreak to beat fifth-seeded Moroccan Younes El Aynaoui, last year's runner-up, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4.
FRENCH WINNERS
At the beginning of the evening session, defending champion Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia also had to work hard to defeat French qualifier Gregory Carraz 6-4, 5-7, 7-5.
Earlier in the day, French number one Sebastien Grosjean recorded his first win over compatriot Cedric Pioline, winning 6-1, 5-7, 6-1.
"I lost my serve at the beginning of the second set and he made fewer unforced errors," third seed Grosjean said.
Pioline, top man of French tennis before he slipped down the rankings after a series of injuries, entered the tournament on a wild card.
He said Tuesday's match was a further step on his path to recovery and that winning a set against a player like Grosjean was a real morale-booster.
"I can only improve and I know I can do it," said the former Wimbledon and U.S. Open finalist, who hopes to be in the French team for the Davis Cup final against Russia from November 29 to December 1.
Two other French Davis Cup players, Arnaud Clement and Nicolas Escude, were in winning form.
Clement had an easy 6-4, 6-2 victory over French qualifier Julien Benneteau and Escude dispatched Italian Davide Sanguinetti 7-6 (7-4) 6-1.
