Roman Safiullin
Роман Сафиуллин
Safiullin in 2021
Country (sports) Russia
ResidencePodolsk, Russia
Born (1997-08-07) 7 August 1997 (age 26)
Podolsk, Russia
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Turned pro2015
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
CoachRishat Safiullin, Andrey Kuznetsov
Prize moneyUS $2,092,166
Singles
Career record35–33 (51.5%)
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 36 (8 January 2024)
Current rankingNo. 36 (15 January 2024)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open2R (2021)
French Open2R (2021)
WimbledonQF (2023)
US Open2R (2023)
Doubles
Career record6–6 (50.0%)
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 239 (7 February 2022)
Current rankingNo. 375 (15 January 2024)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open1R (2024)
US Open2R (2023)
Medal record
Men's tennis
Representing  Russia
Universiade
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Taipei Men's singles
Last updated on: 20 January 2024.

Roman Rishatovich Safiullin[a] (born 7 August 1997) is a Russian professional tennis player. Safiullin has a career high ATP singles ranking of world No. 36 achieved on 8 January 2024, and in doubles of world No. 239 achieved on 7 February 2022.

Personal life

Safiullin was born in Podolsk, Russia, to a Tatar father[2][3] and Russian mother.

Juniors

On the junior tour, Safiullin has a career high combined ranking of No. 2 achieved on 26 May 2014. He is a junior Major champion, having won the 2015 Australian Open over Hong Seong-chan.[4] His biggest junior title, after his Australian Open title, is the Grade A Trofeo Bonfiglio where he beat Andrey Rublev in the final.[5]

Career

2020: First Challenger titles in singles and doubles

Safiullin claimed his first Challenger tour titles in singles and doubles with Pavel Kotov in Cherbourg, France in February 2020.[6]

2021: Grand Slam debut

He made his Grand Slam debut at the 2021 Australian Open after qualifying and reached the second round by defeating Ilya Ivashka. He also qualified for the 2021 French Open reaching also the second round with a win over Carlos Taberner.[7] As a result, he reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 156 on 14 June 2021.[8]

2022: ATP Cup & semifinals, first ATP semifinal & top 10 win, top 100

On his debut, he reached the semifinals at the 2022 ATP Cup after winning 2 singles and 3 doubles matches with teammate Daniil Medvedev.[9] As a result, he moved 21 positions up in the rankings to a new career-high in the top 150 in singles of World No. 146 on 10 January 2022.[10][8]

At the 2022 Australian Open, he qualified as lucky loser after the withdrawal of Casper Ruud where he lost to Alex Molčan.[11][12]

Safiullin qualified for Marseilles after beating Ernests Gulbis and Julian Lenz. After qualifying, he beat 7th seed Alexei Popyrin and fellow qualifier Tomáš Macháč to reach his first ATP Tour-level quarterfinal. There, he claimed his first top-10 win by beating top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets, for the best win in his career, to reach his first semifinal on the ATP Tour.[13][14] He lost to Félix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets with two tiebreaks.[15]

In July, he won his second Challenger title in Nur Sultan. As a result, he reached a new career-high ranking in the top 120 at world No. 119.[16] He then won a third Challenger title in Chicago, propelling him 25 positions up to a top 100 debut at world No. 97 on 15 August 2022.[17]

In September, Safiullin reached the second semifinal of the season in Tel Aviv, where he lost in straight sets to top seed Novak Djokovic. As a result, he reached a new career-high ranking of world No. 92 on 3 October 2022.[18]

2023: Masters debuts, Major quarterfinal, first ATP final, first top-5 win, top 40

He reached a new career-high ranking of No. 82 on 6 February 2023 after he clinched his first ATP Challenger Tour title of the year at the 2023 Koblenz Open. He won four three-set matches before defeating Vasek Pospisil in the final.[19]

He made his Masters 1000 debut at the 2023 BNP Paribas Open but lost to Ilya Ivashka. He qualified for his second Masters at the 2023 Miami Open but also lost in the first round to Grégoire Barrère.

On clay, he qualified for his third Masters at the 2023 Mutua Madrid Open and on his debut at this tournament, reached the third round for the first time in his career at a Masters level defeating Nicolás Jarry and upsetting 14th seed Tommy Paul.[20] He qualified for his next Masters 1000 at the Italian Open and also on his debut reached the third round, defeating two Americans, Marcos Giron and upsetting 22nd seed Sebastian Korda before losing to Australian Alexei Popyrin.[21]

At the 2023 Wimbledon Championships he defeated 20th seed Roberto Bautista Agut, Corentin Moutet, Guido Pella and 26th seed Denis Shapovalov to reach the quarterfinals of a Major for the first time. He became just the 12th man to reach the quarterfinals on his Wimbledon main draw debut.[22] As a result, he moved into the top 50 rising close to 50 positions up in the rankings.[23] In the quarterfinal match, eighth seed Jannik Sinner proved too strong.

At the 2023 Chengdu Open he reached the semifinals defeating Brandon Nakashima, fourth seed Dan Evans[24] and Jordan Thompson by retirement.[25] He defeated second seed Lorenzo Musetti to reach his first final at ATP tour level.[26] He lost to top seed Alexander Zverev in three sets.[27]

At the 2023 Rolex Shanghai Masters he reached the third round upsetting this time ninth seed Alexander Zverev, his second career top-10 win.[28] At the next Masters in Paris where he qualified on his debut at this tournament,[29] he upset world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in the second round in straight sets for the biggest win in his career.[30] He improved to 3-6 against the Top 10 with this win. As a result he reached the top 40 in the rankings on 6 November 2023.[31][32]

Performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# P# DNQ A Z# PO G S B NMS NTI P NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Current as of 2024 Australian Open

Tournament 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A 2R 1R 1R 1R 0 / 4 1–4 20%
French Open Q2 2R Q1 A 0 / 1 1–1 50%
Wimbledon NH Q2 A[b] QF 0 / 1 4–1 80%
US Open A A Q1 2R 0 / 1 1–1 50%
Win–loss 0–0 2–2 0–1 5–3 0–1 0 / 7 7–7 50%
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Indian Wells A A A 1R 0 / 1 0–1 0%
Miami Open A A A 1R 0 / 1 0–1 0%
Monte-Carlo Masters A A A Q1 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Madrid Open A A A 3R 0 / 1 2–1 67%
Italian Open A A A 3R 0 / 1 2–1 67%
Canadian Open A A A A 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Cincinnati Open A A A 1R 0 / 1 0–1 0%
Shanghai Masters A A A 3R 0 / 1 2–1 67%
Paris Masters A A A 3R 0 / 1 2–1 67%
Win–loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 8–7 0 / 7 8–7 53%

ATP Career finals

Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–0)
ATP Tour Finals (0–0)
ATP Tour Masters 1000 (0–0)
ATP Tour 500 Series (0–0)
ATP Tour 250 Series (0–1)
Titles by surface
Hard (0–1)
Clay (0–0)
Grass (0–0)
Titles by setting
Outdoor (0–1)
Indoor (0–0)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Loss 0–1 Sep 2023 Chengdu Open, China 250 Series Hard Germany Alexander Zverev 7–6(7–2), 6–7(5–7), 3–6

Junior Grand Slam finals

Singles: 1 (1 title)

Result Year Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Win 2015 Australian Open Hard South Korea Hong Seong-chan 7–5, 7–6(7–2)

Other finals

Challenger and Futures/World Tennis tour finals

Singles: 29 (23 titles, 6 runner-ups)

Legend (singles)
ATP Challenger tour (4–0)
ITF Futures tour (19–6)
Titles by surface
Hard (20–5)
Clay (3–1)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Win 1–0 Apr 2014 Uzbekistan F1, Qarshi Futures Hard Uzbekistan Temur Ismailov 2–6, 7–5, 6–1
Loss 1–1 Aug 2014 Russia F5, Kazan Futures Clay Russia Anton Zaytsev 3–6, 4–6
Win 2–1 Aug 2014 Russia F6, Kazan Futures Clay Russia Richard Muzaev 6–1, 4–6, 6–1
Win 3–1 Nov 2014 Greece F11, Heraklion Futures Hard Serbia Ivan Bjelica 6–0, 3–6, 6–3
Win 4–1 Nov 2014 Greece F12, Heraklion Futures Hard Serbia Denis Bejtulahi 4–6, 7–6(7–2), 6–4
Win 5–1 Nov 2014 Turkey F42, Antalya Futures Hard Ukraine Denys Mylokostov 7–6(9–7), 6–3
Win 6–1 Dec 2014 Turkey F43, Antalya Futures Hard Portugal Frederico Ferreira Silva 6–1, 1–2 ret.
Loss 6–2 Feb 2016 Turkey F5, Antalya Futures Hard South Korea Hong Seong-chan 2–6, 5–7
Win 7–2 Feb 2016 Turkey F8, Antalya Futures Hard Bulgaria Dimitar Kuzmanov 3–6, 7–5, 7–5
Win 8–2 Aug 2016 Egypt F21, Sharm El Sheikh Futures Hard Czech Republic Michal Konečný 6–2, 6–1
Loss 8–3 Sep 2016 Egypt F23, Sharm El Sheikh Futures Hard Tunisia Anis Ghorbel 7–5, 2–6, 6–7(4–7)
Win 9–3 Oct 2016 Israel F14, Meitar Futures Hard Israel Daniel Cukierman 6–0, 6–4
Win 10–3 Oct 2016 Egypt F30, Sharm El Sheikh Futures Hard Spain Pablo Vivero González 6–2, 7–6(7–5)
Loss 10–4 Nov 2016 Egypt F32, Sharm El Sheikh Futures Hard Czech Republic Michal Schmid 3–6, 6–0, 6–7(5–7)
Win 11–4 Nov 2017 Egypt F34, Sharm El Sheikh Futures Hard Turkey Cem İlkel 7–5, 7–6(7–3)
Win 12–4 Mar 2018 Russia F3, Kazan Futures Hard (i) Uzbekistan Jurabek Karimov 6–2, 6–1
Win 13–4 Mar 2018 Egypt F10, Sharm El Sheikh Futures Hard Czech Republic Jaroslav Pospíšil 6–1, 6–1
Loss 13–5 Jun 2018 Uzbelistan F4, Namangan Futures Hard Turkey Cem İlkel 1–6, 6–7(12–14)
Win 14–5 Oct 2018 Vietnam F4, Tây Ninh Futures Hard Vietnam Lý Hoàng Nam 7–6(9–7), 6–4
Win 15–5 Nov 2018 Vietnam F5, Tây Ninh Futures Hard Vietnam Lý Hoàng Nam 7–6(7–5), 6–4
Win 16–5 Nov 2018 Thailand F8, Nonthaburi Futures Hard Uzbekistan Sanjar Fayziev 7–5, 4–6, 6–4
Win 17–5 Mar 2019 M25 Kazan, Russia World Tennis Tour Hard (i) Uzbekistan Sanjar Fayziev 6–3, 1–6, 6–4
Win 18–5 Apr 2019 M25 Shymkent, Kazakhstan World Tennis Tour Clay Russia Alen Avidzba 7–6(7–2), 6–2
Win 19–5 Apr 2019 M25 Shymkent, Kazakhstan World Tennis Tour Clay Ukraine Vladyslav Manafov 7–5, 6–3
Loss 19–6 May 2019 M25 Namangan, Uzbekistan World Tennis Tour Hard Netherlands Tim van Rijthoven 7–6(7–5), 5–7, 4–6
Win 20–6 Feb 2020 Cherbourg, France Challenger Hard (i) Italy Roberto Marcora 6–4, 6–2
Win 21–6 Jul 2022 Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan Challenger Hard Kazakhstan Denis Yevseyev 2–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–2)
Win 22–6 Aug 2022 Chicago, USA Challenger Hard United States Ben Shelton 6–3, 4–6, 7–5
Win 23–6 Feb 2023 Koblenz, Germany Challenger Hard (i) Canada Vasek Pospisil 6–2, 7–5

Doubles: 11 (4 titles, 7 runners-up)

Legend
Challengers (1–0)
Futures (3–7)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 Aug 2014 Kazan, Russia Futures Clay Croatia Marin Bradarić Russia Ilia Shatskiy
Russia Alexander Zhurbin 		5–7, 1–6
Loss 0–2 Aug 2014 Kazan, Russia Futures Clay Russia Alexander Bublik Russia Andrei Levine
Russia Anton Zaytsev 		1–6, 3–6
Win 1–2 Mar 2016 Hammamet, Tunisia Futures Clay Austria Lenny Hampel Russia Ivan Nedelko
Finland Henrik Sillanpää 		6–1, 6–3
Loss 1–3 Aug 2016 Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt Futures Hard Czech Republic Michal Konečný Brazil Pedro Bernardi
Guatemala Christopher Díaz Figueroa 		6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–2), [7–10]
Loss 1–4 Mar 2018 Kazan, Russia Futures Hard (i) Russia Teymuraz Gabashvili Russia Alexander Pavlioutchenkov
Russia Evgenii Tiurnev 		4–6, 6–3, [6–10]
Win 2–4 Apr 2018 Qarshi, Uzbekistan Futures Hard Russia Konstantin Kravchuk India Saketh Myneni
India Vijay Sundar Prashanth 		3–6, 7–5, [10–7]
Loss 2–5 Jun 2018 Andijan, Uzbekistan Futures Hard Russia Konstantin Kravchuk Belarus Sergey Betov
Belarus Yaraslav Shyla 		4–6, 6–7(2–7)
Loss 2–6 Jun 2018 Namangan, Uzbekistan Futures Hard Russia Konstantin Kravchuk Uzbekistan Sanjar Fayziev
Uzbekistan Khumoyun Sultanov 		6–7(6–8), 7–5, [8–10]
Loss 2–7 Nov 2018 Tây Ninh, Vietnam Futures Hard Vietnam Lý Hoàng Nam Philippines Francis Alcantara
Sweden Markus Eriksson 		7–5, 4–6, [7–10]
Win 3–7 May 2019 Namangan M25, Uzbekistan World Tennis Tour Hard Russia Evgenii Tiurnev Uzbekistan Sanjar Fayziev
Uzbekistan Khumoyun Sultanov 		7–6(7–5), 6–3
Win 4–7 Feb 2020 Cherbourg, France Challenger Hard (i) Russia Pavel Kotov France Dan Added
France Albano Olivetti 		7–6(8–6), 5–7, [12–10]

Record against other players

Record against top 10 players

Safiullin's record against players who have been ranked in the top 10, with those who are active in boldface. Only ATP Tour main draw matches are considered:

Player Record Win % Hard Clay Grass Last Match
Number 1 ranked players
Spain Carlos Alcaraz 1–0 100% 1–0 – – Won (6–3, 6–4) at 2023 Paris
United Kingdom Andy Murray 1–1 50% 1–1 – – Won (6–3, 6–2) at 2023 Shanghai
Serbia Novak Djokovic 0–1 0% 0–1 – – Lost (1–6, 6–7(3–7)) at 2022 Tel Aviv
Number 2 ranked players
Germany Alexander Zverev 1–2 33% 1–1 0–1 – Won (6–3, 6–1) at 2023 Shanghai
Number 3 ranked players
Greece Stefanos Tsitsipas 1–0 100% 1–0 – – Won (6–4, 6–4) at 2022 Marseille
Number 4 ranked players
Italy Jannik Sinner 0–2 0% 0–1 – 0–1 Lost (4–6, 6–3, 2–6, 2–6) at 2023 Wimbledon
Number 6 ranked players
Canada Félix Auger-Aliassime 0–1 0% 0–1 – – Lost (6–7(4–7), 6–7(5–7)) at 2022 Marseille
Number 8 ranked players
Russia Karen Khachanov 0–1 0% 0–1 – – Lost (4–6, 4–6) at 2023 Vienna
United Kingdom Cameron Norrie 0–1 0% 0–1 – – Lost (6–3, 5–7, 3–6, 6–7(3–7)) at 2021 Australian Open
Number 9 ranked players
Spain Roberto Bautista Agut 1–0 100% – – 1–0 Won (2–6, 7–6(9–7), 6–7(4–7), 6–4, 7–5) at 2023 Wimbledon
Number 10 ranked players
Canada Denis Shapovalov 1–2 33% 0–2 – 1–0 Won (3–6, 6–3, 6–1, 6–3) at 2023 Wimbledon
Total 6–11 35% 4–9
(31%) 		0–1
(0%) 		2–1
(67%) 		* Statistics correct as of 31 October 2023

Wins over top 10 players

Season 2022 2023 Total
Wins 1 2 3
# Player Rank Event Surface Rd Score RSR
2022
1. Greece Stefanos Tsitsipas 4 Open 13 Provence, France Hard (i) QF 6–4, 6–4 163
2023
2. Germany Alexander Zverev 10 Shanghai Masters, China Hard 2R 6–3, 6–1 50
3. Spain Carlos Alcaraz 2 Paris Masters, France Hard (i) 2R 6–3, 6–4 45
*As of 31 October 2023

Awards

Notes

  1. ^ Рома́н Риша́тович Сафиу́ллин; Tatar: Роман Рәшит улы Сафиуллин, romanized: Roman Räşit ulı Safiullin.[1]
  2. ^ Russian athletes were banned from competing following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[33][34]
  3. ^ (as part of the Team: Roman Safiullin, Evgenii Tiurnev, Andrey Rublev; captain Ivan Pridankin)

References

  1. ^ "Татарский теннисист Роман Сафиуллин выступит в основной сетке "Ролан Гаррос"" [Tatar tennis player Roman Safiullin will compete in the main draw of Roland Garros]. tatarlar.info (in Russian). TatarLar. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022. Роман Рәшит Улы Сафиуллин
  2. ^ «По впечатлению спортсменов в Татарстане построен один из лучших теннисных центров»
  3. ^ "Татарский теннисист Роман Сафиуллин выступит в основной сетке "Ролан Гаррос"" [Tatar tennis player Roman Safiullin will compete in the main draw of Roland Garros]. tatarlar.info (in Russian). TatarLar. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022. Роман Рәшит Улы Сафиуллин
  4. ^ "Safiullin wins boys' title, Mihalikova wins girls' title at Australian Open". Tennis.com. 31 January 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  5. ^ "Tennis, Bonfiglio: Vincono Roman Safiullin e Catherine Bellis".
  6. ^ "Roman Safiullin Men's Singles Titles". ITF Tennis. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  7. ^ "Roman Safiullin | Player Activity".
  8. ^ a b "Roman Safiullin | Rankings History". ATP Tour.
  9. ^ "Roman Safiullin: Russia's NEW Secret Weapon". ATP Tour.
  10. ^ "How Roman Safiullin Became an Unlikely Hero for Russia at the ATP Cup". 5 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Casper Ruud pulls out of Australian Open 2022, eyes return in the next couple of weeks » FirstSportz". 18 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Fans praise Open star's classy act of sportsmanship". 19 January 2022.
  13. ^ "Qualifier Roman Safiullin Stuns Stefanos Tsitsipas in Open 13 Provence Marseille". ATP Tour.
  14. ^ "'The best win of my career' – Safiullin knocks out Tsitsipas to reach Marseille semi-final". 18 February 2022.
  15. ^ "Felix Auger-Aliassime Keeps Run Rolling, Sets Andrey Rublev Final Clash in Open 13 Provence in Marseille".
  16. ^ "Wu Yibing Surges to Career High After Indianapolis Challenger Title". ATP Tour.
  17. ^ "Casper Ruud Returns to Top 5, Mover of Week". ATP Tour.
  18. ^ "Novak Djokovic Seals Tel Aviv Watergen Open Final Spot".
  19. ^ "China's Yibing Wu Breaks Top 100, Mover of Week". ATP Tour.
  20. ^ "Lajovic Beats Auger-Aliassime In Madrid | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  21. ^ "Popyrin roars into fourth round at Italian Open". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  22. ^ "Safiullin knocks out Shapovalov to reach maiden major quarter-finals at Wimbledon". Reuters. 2023-07-09. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  23. ^ https://www.atptour.com/en/news/roman-safiullin-wimbledon-feature-2023
  24. ^ https://www.atptour.com/en/news/thompson-lajovic-chengdu-2023-friday
  25. ^ https://www.atptour.com/en/news/musetti-zverev-chengdu-2023-sunday
  26. ^ https://www.atptour.com/en/news/zverev-dimitrov-safiullin-musetti-chengdu-2023-monday
  27. ^ https://www.atptour.com/en/news/zverev-safiullin-chengdu-2023-tuesday-final
  28. ^ https://www.atptour.com/en/news/zhang-etcheverry-shanghai-2023-friday
  29. ^ https://www.atptour.com/en/news/safiullin-paris-2023-feature
  30. ^ https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/38786837/carlos-alcaraz-loses-straight-sets-qualifier-roman-safiullin-paris-masters
  31. ^ https://www.atptour.com/en/news/alcaraz-safiullin-paris-2023-tuesday
  32. ^ https://www.reuters.com/sports/tennis/safiullin-stuns-alcaraz-paris-masters-2023-10-31/
  33. ^ "Joint Statement by the International Governing Bodies of Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  34. ^ "Wimbledon bans Russian and Belarusian tennis players including Daniil Medvedev over Ukraine war". Sky News. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  35. ^ ""Русский Кубок" – почётные призы обрели своих хозяев" [The "Russian Cup" – Honorary Prizes Found Their Owners] (in Russian). GoTennis. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  36. ^ «Русский Кубок». Триумф командного тенниса [The "Russian Cup". Triumph in Team Tennis] (in Russian). Championat.com. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2017.

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