Marat Safin's dramatic, hilarious and succesful tennis career came to a quiet close on Wednesday when the Russian former number 1 was defeated by 5th seeded Juan Martin del Potro, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in the 2nd round of the Paris Masters. It wouldn't have been a match without some racquet-crushing, but Marat did sow some glimpses of his old self to the Parisian crowd, firing some baseline cannons for winners on occasion.“Today I will put all my memories, all my wins and losses in a small box,” said Safin, following a ceremony honoring the 2 time Grand Slam champion. “Today a door is closed, hopefully another one will open.” In other results, Julien Benneteau stunned Roger Federer, who continues to play his worst tennis in the latter stages of the year, in a tight 3 setter, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4. Rafael Nadal saved 5 match points in his 3 set win over Nicolas Almagro, while Novak Djokovic, Robin Soderling, Fernando Gonzalez and Gael Monfils advanced with straight set victories. Last week's winner in Valencia, Andy Murray, edged out James Blake in 3 sets, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4).
