Guccione sent packing at Flushing
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Grand slam over... Chris Guccione. (Getty Images: Jarrett Baker)
Chris Guccione ended Australian interest in the US Open this morning, losing a rain-affected second round match to Radek Stepanek in four sets.
Guccione was the last Australian remaining in the New York grand slam, but was eliminated by his Czech counterpart 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-2.
Stepanek's next opponent at Flushing Meadows will be second seed Roger Federer, who beat Brazil's Thiago Alves in straight sets.
The Czech 28th seed had a superior first serve percentage of 69 to Guccione's 63, but served up five fewer aces (14-19).
Guccione was his own worst enemy at times during the contest, racking up 25 unforced errors and converting less than half of his opportunities at the net.
Stepanek was far more clinical on the volley, with 32 from 37 successful approaches to the net.
Safin bundled out
Meanwhile former champion Marat Safin traded booming groundstrokes with Tommy Robredo for three sets before fading to a 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, 6-0 defeat by the 15th-seeded Spaniard.
Safin, the 2000 champion, lost the second-set tie break 7-4 and battled Robredo on serve in the third set before errors began to seep into his game as the Spaniard broke him in the 10th game for a two sets to one lead.
That seemed to take the life out of the 44th-ranked Russian, who went down meekly in a 24-minute fourth set.
Robredo, pin-pointing his topspin forehands and cut backhands from the baseline, advanced to a third-set match against either 19th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France or Carlos Moya.
Safin failed to successfully follow up his spirited run at Wimbledon, where he reached the semi-finals before falling to Federer.
ABC/Reuters
