Safin has ulterior motives

Marat Safin hopes a successful showing at the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles will see him seeded for the US Open.

The former world number one currently lies 44th the world rankings and needs a good points return from the upcoming tournament in order to force officials to place him among the 32 seeds at Flushing Meadows.
However, he made the perfect start with a 6-3 6-4 win over John Isner as he booked a place in the second round.
After his win, he revealed: "I have a chance to be seeded and that's my goal. It's a huge difference if you are seeded at the US Open or not, because you can play Rafael Nadal in the first round.
"I think I am playing pretty well. For this first match, it was a pretty good performance. I just need to stay aggressive and move on from here.
"After two weeks when I lost in the second and first rounds, and against an opponent like Isner, who is not easy to play, I was pretty solid."
The Russian will face Wayne Odesnik in the last 16, after the American secured a 4-6 6-1 6-4 win over compatriot Bobby Reynolds.