Thu Oct 23 15:00:18 2008

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Hot Murray rolls; Safin bows out in Russia

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St. Petersburg, Russia (Sports Network) - Top-seeded and defending champion Andy Murray of Scotland was an easy second-round winner, while Russian favorite Marat Safin suffered a setback Thursday at the $1.49 million St. Petersburg Open.

The U.S. Open runner-up Murray, fresh off his big title at the Madrid Masters last week, got past rising Latvian Ernests Gulbis 6-4, 6-2, while the former world No. 1 and two-time major champion Safin, seeded eighth this week, was ousted by Kazakhstan's Andrey Golubev 6-4, 6-2 on the indoor carpet at SCC Peterburgsky. Safin was the back-to-back St. Petersburg titlist in 2000 and 2001.

Murray, who defeated Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in last year's St. Petersburg finale, will face Serbian Janko Tipsarevic in Friday's quarterfinals.

Another Russian went by way of the upset on Day 4, as German Mischa Zverev doused fourth-seeded Mikhail Youzhny 7-5, 6-4. Youzhny won this tournament in 2004.

Two other second-round results saw Romanian Victor Hanescu edge out qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan 6-3, 7-6 (9-7) and Tipsarevic top France's Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).

Friday's other quarters will pit a third-seeded Verdasco against German Rainer Schuettler, Golubev versus his fellow qualifier Zverev and Hanescu against Russian Michail Elgin.

The 2008 titlist here will collect $171,000.