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By Joshua Mason

Daily Bruin Staff

On Tuesday night, 21-year-old U.S. Open champion Marat Safin was the old-timer on the court, as he matched up against budding star Andy Roddick, the 18-year-old Nebraska sensation who has been touted as the future of American tennis. In the end, it was experience that prevailed over flash, as Safin defeated Roddick in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.

Roddick, donning a backwards cap and neon green shirt for the match, seemed the epitome of the tour’s next generation. He consistently scorched his serves over 130 miles per hour, at times threw his racket down in frustration, and at one point in the second set, shouted to the crowd after a frustrating miss, “I’ve got groundstrokes for sale.”

Both players drew consistent gasps from the crowd of 7,014 – Roddick for his wicked serves, Safin for his overall precision on the court.

“After seeing (Roddick) today, he can still improve on a few areas. He can use some work on his backhand and his volleying,” Safin said. “He’s still young, so it is good that he has things that he can work on.”

The Russian Safin, generally noted for his own tantrums on the court, played the part of the more mature competitor in the first round matchup. While Roddick made mistakes in his volleying, Safin seemed flawless, keeping his composure even when the younger Roddick nearly broke the second set open with a 4-3 lead.

“I don’t think I really did anything special to gain momentum in the second set,” Safin said. “The guy just gave it up to me. On break point, he went for too much on the second serve.”

The second-seeded Safin, who had nine aces – three more than Roddick – didn’t have to play overwhelming tennis, he only played well enough to win.

Roddick stayed with Safin in the first six games of the first set, but he ended up falling in the set’s final three games.

In the second set, Roddick seemed to have the momentum in his favor and the crowd on his side, when once again, he faltered in the final games of the set to lose 6-4.

“It’s hard to come into a game against the former No. 2 player in the world and expect to win,” Roddick said. “I thought I had a good chance to win, but I didn’t expect it.”

Safin will advance to the second round to take on Xavier Malisse of Belgium on Thursday.

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