Safin brings Hewitt down to earth

Marat Safin brought Lleyton Hewitt down to earth on Tuesday when he won the battle of the former world number ones by beating him 6-4, 7-5 in the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Australian Hewitt, who won the U.S. Clay Court Championships in Houston on Sunday, could not match Safin's accuracy and bowed out on the third match point when he sent a backhand wide.

Russian Safin, who topped the ATP rankings for the first time in November 2000 following his U.S. Open victory, next faces Ecuador's Nicolas Lapentti.

He set his record straight to 7-7 with Hewitt, whom he beat in the Australian Open final in 2005.

Hewitt, who became world number one in November 2001, had his right thigh strapped after the first set but, true to his reputation, did not give up easily.

Safin was not too excited by his win, pointing out that Hewitt had only just arrived from the United States and was not in the best condition to compete.

"He arrived like two hours before the match. But he played well. I took advantage of the fact he was not used to these balls, I guess, and (his) condition was not really at its best," Safin told reporters.

"That's why he missed a couple of easy shots in important moments and I took advantage of it and won the match. So, nothing great. Nothing incredible to write about."

Both players traded breaks early in the match, with Safin stealing Hewitt's serve a second time in the 10th game to clinch the opening set.

World number 57 Hewitt, a wildcard entry, broke in the third game of the second set, only for Safin to level in the following with a forehand winner down the line.

The Russian wrapped up the win on his opponent's serve after 95 minutes.

"Obviously our rankings both aren't in the top 10 anymore, so you're not getting the protection of not playing each other early on," said Hewitt.

"But, yeah, he's obviously still a class player when he's on."