Marat Safin needed less than an hour to oust Mikhail Youzhny 6-1, 6-4 Wednesday in the first round of the Open de Moselle.
Safin, who told French sports daily L'Equipe he will retire in 2010, gave Youzhny no break points. The pair led Russia into the Davis Cup final with a 3-2 win over the United States last month.
Safin will meet Jurgen Melzer in the quarter-finals.
Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo upset Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-3, and will play Mardy Fish. Arnaud Clement beat Xavier Malisse 7-6 (3), 6-2, and Sebastien Grosjean topped Florian Mayer 6-3, 6-4.
In second-round action, Florent Serra outlasted Paul-Henri Mathieu 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2), and will play wild card Marc Gicquel, who beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2, 6-3.
