The Associated Press

Russia's Marat Safin screams for joy during his third-round victory over Todd Martin at the Australian Open today. (The Associated Press)

MELBOURNE, Australia - Marat Safin used a string of powerful backhand returns in the last set to beat Todd Martin 7-5, 1-6, 4-6, 6-0, 7-5 today and move into the fourth round of the Australian Open, where he will face James Blake.

The 3-hour, 25-minute match ended when the 23-year-old Russian whipped a return at Martin's feet on his first match point.

Safin was demonstrative throughout the second and third sets as he muttered to himself, slammed his racket into the court and received a code violation for smacking a ball out of the arena.

He settled down in the fourth set, however, while Martin began disputing line calls.

Highlights

Men's third round • Paradorn Srichaphan (13) def. Gustavo Kuerten (19) 6-3, 7-5, 6-4. Men's second round • Roger Federer (2) d. Jeff Morrison 6-2, 6-3, 6-4. • Juan Carlos Ferrero (3) d. Filippo Volandri 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-5. Women's third round • Amelie Mauresmo (4) def. Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-1, 6-2. Women's second round • Kim Clijsters (2) d. Maria Elena Camerin 6-0, 6-0. • Venus Williams (3) d. Vera Douchevina 6-4, 6-2. • Anastasia Myskina (6) d. Emmanuelle Gagliardi 6-2, 6-4

Blake needed just 75 minutes to beat Olivier Patience 6-1, 6-3, 6-2, conceding only one break point as he dropped serve when trying to close the match at 5-0.

Otherwise, he was on his game, hitting 41 winners to Patience's 12 and winning 25 of the 30 times he went to the net. He gave Patience only one break-point opportunity.

"This is the farthest I've gone in a Slam, and I want it to continue," the 23-year-old said Blake. "I was really happy with my first-round match, and today I got even better. I feel I played pretty darned well. I like to think it had more to do with me than with him."

Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan, seeded 13th, beat Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten, a former No. 1, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.

On the women's side, fourth-seeded Amelie Mauresmo had very little trouble in beating Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-1, 6-2.

Vera Zvonareva, seeded 11th, beat Nicole Pratt 7-5, 2-6, 6-1; 32nd-seeded Fabiola Zuluaga advanced 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-2 over Jill Craybas; and Alicia Molik overcame Claudine Schaul 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-2.

In Thursday's matches, Venus Williams wasn't too concerned when she made 23 unforced errors during a 6-4, 6-2 second-round victory against 17-year-old Vera Douchevina, a Russian ranked 112th.

"I had a good match. I had a few more errors than what I wanted to, but really the whole goal was just to keep hitting out," said Williams, who had been sidelined for six months because of an abdominal injury. "I felt that I could have pulled back, of course, and cut my errors in half. But I really wanted to go after her."

Second-ranked Kim Clijsters didn't hold anything back in a 6-0, 6-0 win over 92nd-ranked Maria Elena Camerin.

On the men's side Thursday, Wimbledon winner Roger Federer eliminated Jeff Morrison 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, and French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero ignored pain in his left wrist and beat Filippo Volandri 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-5.

Other winners included No. 8 David Nalbandian, No. 10 Mark Philippoussis, No. 11 Tim Henman, No. 14 Jiri Novak, No. 15 Lleyton Hewitt and No. 26 Albert Costa.