Russian tennis star Marat Safin had propelled the defending champions into the semifinals with a victory in the deciding Davis Cup match against France in Moscow yesterday, the Associated Press reported. The former top-ranked Russian played for the first time in the best-of-five series and beat Paul-Henri Mathieu 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-2 in the deciding match to give the hosts a 3-2 win over France.

Safin had performed a similarly vital role in four previous deciding Davis Cup matches, including last year’s final during which he clinched the victory over Argentina to give the Russians their second title.

Yesterday’s win extended Russia’s unbeaten record at home to 13 since the 1995 final.

The United States, Germany, and Sweden secured semifinal places after Saturday’s doubles.

Russia will play Germany in the next round in September. France hasn’t beaten Russia since 1983.

Safin had been dropped from Saturday’s doubles because of a foot injury. He wore a bandage yesterday but still dominated against Mathieu, who was unable to break the big Russian.

Russia entered play ahead, 2-1, in the best-of-five quarterfinal. Sebastien Grosjean tied it for France by beating Igor Andreev, 7-5, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, on clay. That set the stage for Safin, a two-time major champion.

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