Greg triumphs as Safin's patience runs out

Greg Rusedski was not surprised to see Russia's Marat Safin lose his cool in defeat at the Masters Series in Cincinnati.

Rusedski, the British No2, upset the form book by beating Safin 7-6, 6-2 in the opening round.

He said: "You've got to stay on him, you can see sometimes he gets upset on court. He goes up and down a little bit.

"You have to do a lot of work out there. You have to do a lot of running and a lot of scrapping."

It was a difficult evening for Safin, who lost his discipline and patience after an unforced error in the first-set tie-break.

Leading 5-2, he missed a relatively routine forehand and his game fell apart as he allowed Rusedski to clinch the set with a characteristic ace.

Safin then lost his serve at the start the second set and kicked the courtside clock in frustration.

He said: "I'm so lost that I can't find out what I can do to come back and play well.

"You miss a shot and everything is going against you.

"It means you're in bad shape, you're in a bad mood and you're not playing well."

"I'm supposed to win some big tournaments this year. I've had chances, but I didn't do it. I don't know what to do."

In the second round, Rusedski faces Tommy Robredo, who beat fellow American Todd Martin 4-6, 6-4, 7-6.