The Hindu : Sport : Hewitt forced to take the long route

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Saturday, Jul 01, 2006

Sport

Sport

Hewitt forced to take the long route

Nirmal Shekar

London: He is the ambitious kid who stepped out with a kitchen knife tucked under his belt to try his luck in a brawl where life, death and glory are decided with AK 47s and Kalashnikovs.

In the world of Federers, Roddicks and Nadals, owners of formidable state-of-the-art armaments and untold riches, Lleyton Hewitt stands out like a factory worker in sweat-stained overalls in a swanky casino frequented by millionaire high rollers.

The 25-year-old from Adelaide doesn't seem to belong.

That, until you realise that there is more to winning tennis than cannonball serves and sledgehammer forehands, delicate drop shots and crisp volleys.

And when you sit through a rollercoaster five-setter watching Hewitt at his worst and at his best, the realisation that success in sport is as much about hunger and heart, about desire and willpower, is unlikely to escape you.

Breathtaking winners

In a second round match played over two days — Thursday and Friday — in the 120th Wimbledon championships, Hewitt, the 2002 champion who is seeded No. 6 this year, was up against a Korean — Hyung-taik Lee — who was gleefully swinging his arms at everything and bringing off breathtaking winners.

When the players returned to the dressing room in the gloaming on Thursday, the match was deadlocked at two sets apiece and it was a straight shootout on Friday with the momentum clearly with Lee after Hewitt failed to serve out the match in the 12th game of the fourth set and then lost the tiebreak.

But, then, not for the first time in his career, the feisty Australian beat a gritty uphill path and finally found his way past the talented 30-year-old Korean, winning 6-7(4), 6-2, 7-6(6), 6-7(5), 6-4 in three hours and 56 minutes.

A great mover

"Well, that's all it really was, survival sort of,'' said Hewitt, a statement that just about sums up his career itself. "But he is a hell of a shotmaker. He is a great mover around the court. He doesn't take many steps backwards.''

In the third round, Hewitt will play the Belgian Olivier Rochus, at 5ft 5in the shortest player in the last 32 of the championship and the celebrated David in many a David and Goliath episode in the game. In Halle not long ago, Rochus held four matchpoints against Roger Federer before losing to a man who's not been beaten on grass since the summer of 2002.

"It's a tough one. He is one of the most talented guys out there,'' said Hewitt. "He's a shotmaker and his movements are a big part of his game, being that small. He is a tough player to play against.''

If he plays like he did against Lee, the Australian will have another huge mountain to climb on Saturday. Hewitt was far too tentative from the back of the court and for someone who won his record fourth Queen's title less than two weeks ago, he seemed to lack confidence.

It was only late in the match, in the second half of the decider, that Hewitt started hitting the ball deeper and his serving improved too.

"I made it tough for myself, that's for sure,'' said the former world No.1 after firing two aces to hold to 5-4 and then breaking Lee's serve to close out the match.

The gutsy Korean looked much the better of the contestants through most part of the absorbing tussle. He served with tremendous confidence, covered the net skilfully and, from the baseline, took the ball early, often teeing off on Hewitt's second serves with great relish.

Lee, world ranked No.102, was a touch unlucky not to win the third set. He had three setpoints in the tiebreak and there was a bad line call on one of those points.

Nalbandian loses

Meanwhile, the man Hewitt beat in the final to win the title here four years ago, David Nalbandian, seeded four, lost in straight sets to Fernando Verdasco of Spain in the third round. The 22-year-old left-handed Spaniard won two thrilling tiebreaks in a row against the Argentine star before running away with the match 7-6(9), 7-6(9), 6-2 in two hours and 47 minutes.

Also out of the championship was the American James Blake, who went down in five sets to the man nicknamed the Beast of Belarus — Max Mirnyi. The 6ft 5in giant felled Blake 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 in a third round match.

Also through to the round of 16 was the three-time champion Roger Federer, whose choice of cuisine on Friday turned out to be French. The Swiss genius almost lazily eased past Nicolas Mahut of France 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-4.

Na Li of China outlasted the fifth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetzova of Russia 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in a women's singles third round match. She became the first ever Chinese to make the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Hingis bows out

Later in the evening, Martina Hingis, seeded 12, was beaten in three sets by the experienced Ai Sugiyama. The Japanese player came back from 0-3 down in the decider to win 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 to make the fourth round.

Late on Thursday evening, in the women's doubles event, India's Sania Mirza, playing with Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands, got past Serra Zanetti and S. Foretz 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in the first round of the women's doubles event.

* * *

THE RESULTS

Prefix indicates seeding

Men: Third round: Max Mirnyi (Blr) bt 8-James Blake (USA) 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0; 1-Roger Federer (Sui) bt Nicolas Mahut (Fra) 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-4; Jonas Bjorkman (Swe) bt Daniele Bracciali (Ita) 7-5, 6-2, 6-1; Novak Djokovic (SCG) bt Mikhail Youzhny (Rus) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3; 28-Fernando Verdasco (Esp) bt 4-David Nalbandian (Arg) 7-6(9), 7-6(9), 6-2. 14-Radek Stepanek (Cze) bt 24-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Esp) 5-7, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2, 11-9.

Second round: 6-Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) bt Hyung-taik Lee (S. Kor) 6-7 (4), 6-2, 7-6(6), 6-7(5), 6-4; Jonas Bjorkman (Swe) bt Lukas Dlouhy (Cze) 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 1-6, 6-4; 10-Fernando Gonzalez (Chi) bt Marat Safin (Rus) 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Andy Murray (GBr) bt Julien Benneteau (Fra) 7-6(5), 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.

Women: Third round: 3-Justine Henin-Hardenne (Bel) bt 30-Anna Chakvetadze (Rus) 6-2, 6-3. 27-Na Li (Chn) bt 5-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. 15-Daniela Hantuchova (Slo) bt 21-Katarina Srebotnik (Slo) 6-4, 7-6(2); Severine Bremond (Fra) bt 31-Gisela Dulko (Arg) 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-5; 18-Ai Sugiyama (Jpn) bt 12-Martina Hingis (Sui) 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.

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