Safin works hard as others cruise

While others at the US Open had just another day at the office, Marat Safin was forced to put in some overtime.

Safin, the men’s second seed, outlasted former top-10 player Nicolas Kiefer of Germany 6-3 4-6 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-4) in a marathon afternoon first-round match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.