A Melbourne rainstorm came to the aid of Marat Safin today, who pulled off a remarkable five-set victory over Tommy Haas to reach his first Australian Open final.
Ninth seed Safin will play Swede Thomas Johansson on Sunday after winning 6-7, 7-6, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2.
"Thanks God it rained . . . I had no chance to win if it didn't rain," Safin told a news conference afterwards. "But when it did I didn't give him any chance after the break. I totally changed the game - served better, did everything better".
The Russian looked finished early in the fourth set, trailing 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 1-0 against the German seventh seed, and he needed treatment for fatigue in the extreme heat.
Then the heavens opened and, as the rain swept across Melbourne Park, Safin raised his arms in celebration. When play resumed 45 minutes later, with the stadium roof closed and the air conditioning on, he won 11 of the next 13 games to clinch victory.
The delay was a bitter blow to Haas who was seeking his first place in a grand slam final. "There was no excuse, I think. At the end my legs just didn't want to work," he said.
"I don't think the break helped me. When we came back we had to start again and he was on fire so there you go. I had been playing a good game, was in a groove but when we came out again everything was different. It just didn't go my way".