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NEW YORK — Marat Safin burst onto the tennis scene like a comet, beating Pete Sampras in straight sets to win the 2000 U.S. Open and looking like he might dominate the sport for a decade.
Nine years later, the mercurial Russian says he has played his final Grand Slam match after losing to Jurgen Melzer of Austria 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the Open.
“It’s the end, it’s the last one,” Safin, 29, said. “Could’ve been better ending, but it’s still OK. I have no regrets and I have no worries about it at all.”
Venus Williams and Rafa Nadal both cruised to wins on Arthur Ashe Stadium court despite knee injuries. Read about that here.
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