Nalbandian fells a beaten up Safin

PARIS — Marat Safin’s left pinkie was mummified. Parts of four other fingers were wrapped with white tape, too, and matchbook-sized patches protected each burning palm. Splotches of rust-colored medicine stained his hands.

This was no way to try to reach the French Open quarterfinals, and Safin eventually succumbed to the pain of 11 blisters and the steady play of David Nalbandian.

Safin’s riveting run at Roland Garros included two five-setters, three match points saved, a much-discussed partial disrobing, a rant about what’s ailing tennis – and it all ended in the fourth round with a 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3 loss to Nalbandian.

“The hands, I don’t care about actually anymore, because I’m just a little bit frustrated,” the 2000 U.S. Open champion said. “It was another big opportunity for me to fight for a title. Just to waste this opportunity this way, it’s a pity.”

The eighth-seeded Nalbandian joins No. 3 Guillermo Coria, No. 22 Juan Ignacio Chela and unseeded Gaston Gaudio to give Argentina half of a major’s quarterfinal slots for the first time. And none faces each other next, a prospect that delighted Nalbandian.

“I’m a little surprised,” the 2002 Wimbledon runner-up said. “It’s not like this every day. I hope it will be all Argentines in the semifinals.”

Wednesday, he’ll play three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten, who finished his 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory over No. 23 Feliciano Lopez caked with clay from a late tumble on a serve-and-volley bid that went awry.

“Look at me,” a smiling Kuerten said. “This never happened to me in my life. I’m all dirty.”

Nothing was messy about Gaudio’s 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Igor Andreev, who knocked off defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second round. Gaudio’s quarterfinal foe will be No. 12 Lleyton Hewitt, a 7-5, 6-2, 7-6 (6) winner against Xavier Malisse.

Two men’s quarterfinals are today: Coria vs. 1998 champion Carlos Moya, and Chela vs. No. 9 Tim Henman, the first Englishman to get this far at Roland Garros since Roger Taylor in 1973. All women’s round-of-eight matches also are today, highlighted by Serena Williams against Jennifer Capriati in a showdown between past champions.

With Safin’s departure, three men are left who have won a Grand Slam title: Brazil’s Kuerten, Spain’s Moya, and Australia’s Hewitt, the 2001 U.S. Open and 2002 Wimbledon winner.