Safin ousts Davydenko at Kremlin Cup

MOSCOW, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Retirement-bound Marat Safin opened his final appearance at the Kremlin Cup with a first-round upset Wednesday of top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko in Moscow.

Safin has announced plans to retire from competitive tennis this year, making this week's $1.1 million event his final tournament in his native Moscow. He used 10 aces and three service breaks to oust Davydenko, who had won 13 of his previous 14 matches, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Safin dropped just five points on serve in the third set and didn't face a break point after the first set.

No. 3-seeded Mikhail Youzhny made quick work of Potito Starace, 6-1, 6-1 in a second-round match. Youzhny lost five points over seven service games and piled up five breaks.

Also in the second round Wednesday, fifth-seeded Pablo Cuevas topped Teimuraz Gabashvili 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 but No. 7-seeded Fabrice Santoro fell 7-5, 6-1 to Sergiy Stakhovsky.

Safin was the 2008 tournament runner-up, losing to Igor Kunitysn, but Kunitsyn lost his chance to repeat with a 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 first-round loss to Evgeny Korolev. In the other first-round match Wednesday, Illya Marchenko led 1-6, 6-4, 4-1 when Denis Istomin retired due to a throat infection.