Sport

Hewitt turns up the heat

US Open Championships: For two years the Australian Lleyton Hewitt was the world number one and the living was easy, but recently…

Stephen Bierley at Flushing Meadows
Fri Aug 29 2003 - 01:00

US Open Championships: For two years the Australian Lleyton Hewitt was the world number one and the living was easy, but recently life has turned into an almighty struggle.

The defence of his Wimbledon title was cut short in the first round, and since then he has battled inner demons as his confidence and self-belief see-sawed from day to day and match to match.

On a hot New York morning Hewitt entered the Louis Armstrong stadium yesterday in red shorts and red shoes as if demanding to be noticed. It was in this city he won the first of his two grand slam titles, rushing Pete Sampras to an ignominious defeat in the 2001 final. This summer, having dropped to number six in the world, there has barely been a suggestion he might win this title again.

But Hewitt can never be underestimated, as Korea's Hyung-Taik Lee, having won the first set of their second-round match, was uncomfortably to discover in a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 defeat.

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Lee first won attention for both himself and his country here three years ago when he reached the last 16, putting Korea on the tennis map. He had never played Hewitt before but yesterday, having broken serve almost at will in the opening set, a glint of victory was in his eyes.

Hewitt picked at his racket strings between points with almost manic obsession and constantly muttered to himself, invariably a bad sign. He also found himself trying to control play from yards beyond the baseline, while his attack on the Korean's backhand bordered on the monotonous. And nothing worked.

This appeared not simply a lack of self-belief but a genuine crisis of confidence. Hewitt's inability to open up the court, or to take the initiative in tight situations, made him seem like an automaton.

Some have blamed his loss of form on the fact he no longer has a qualified coach travelling with him; others say the lawsuit he is pursuing against the tour professionals' organisation, the ATP, has taken his mind off tennis; there have been whispers of a rift between him and his girlfriend, Kim Clijsters. Whatever the truth, Hewitt has been struggling, but retains the belief if he can get through the first week here he has as good a chance as anybody of taking the title.

Certainly the power of positive thinking came to his rescue yesterday. Whatever thoughts were whizzing through his brain as he sat in his chair after the first set, he sprang on to court with the clear intention of backing his ability to turn matters around.

The backhand down the line, a trademark shot, was unleashed, together with the top-spin lob, while the power behind his forehand increased sharply. Lee began to wilt under the barrage, and when Hewitt won the third set the veins almost popped out of his neck, such was the intensity of his celebration. "It was tough tennis, but I was much more aggressive in the second set and I think that turned things around," said Hewitt.

Lee served much better in the fourth set while Hewitt's first serve was erratic throughout the match, and when the crucial break came for him at 4-4 in the fourth set it took him seven deuces to win.

Claycourt king Juan Carlos Ferrero suffered a hardcourt hiccup yesterday before recovering his composure to move into the third round. The French Open champion, seeded third, was walloped in the first set of his match against Juergen Melzer before bouncing back to beat the Austrian 1-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4.

The Spaniard will next face a fellow baseliner Juan Ignacio Chela. Argentinian Chela, seeded 33rd, beat Czech Tomas Berdych 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.

A battling Mary Pierce clawed her way into the third round yesterday taming 22nd seed Jelena Dokic 6-2, 6-7, 7-6. Fighting back to fitness following two injury-plagued seasons, Pierce showed glimpses of the power game that helped her to win the Australian and French Opens.

Having dealt with abdominal, back and ankle injuries over the last two years, the 28-year-old Frenchwoman appeared to relish her time back in the spotlight. She cracked a sly smile when she broke Dokic with a cheeky drop volley to jump into a 5-2 lead on her way to taking the opening set.

But at 5-4 and serving for the match, Pierce could not close out the second set. She squandered a match point and allowed Dokic to level the contest after the Yugoslav won the tie-break 7-5.

With Dokic storming to a 5-2 lead in the third and serving for the match, Pierce appeared to be on her way out. But the 64th ranked player dug deep, breaking the Yugoslav twice and forced the match to a tie-break. Pierce grabbed her opportunity, taking the tie-break 7-5 when Dokic's return sailed wide and long.

Eleventh-seed Elena Dementieva clambered past Tatiana Perebiynis 5-7, 6-4, 6-0 to reach the third round. A semi-finalist here in 2000, Dementieva next faces America's Amy Frazier. Frazier received a walkover in her match when France's Nathalie Dechy pulled out injured.

Men's Singles 2nd rd: (11) Paradorn Srichaphan (Tha) bt Dominik Hrbaty (Svk) 6-4 6-4 6-3, (6) Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) bt Hyung Taik Lee (Kor) 5-7 6-2 6-2 6-4, (26) Juan Ignacio Chela (Arg) bt Tomas Berdych (Cze) 2-6 6-1 6-4 6-3

Men's Singles 1st rd: Thomas Enqvist (Swe) bt Albert Portas (Spa) 6-2 6-3 6-1, (20) Mark Philippoussis (Aus) bt Janko Tipsarevic (Ser) 6-2 7-6 (7-4) 6-4, Jarkko Nieminen (Fin) bt Nicolas Mahut (Fra) 6-2 6-4 7-5, (22) Younes El Aynaoui (Mor) bt Alex Kim (USA) 7-5 7-6 (7-5) 6-3, (2) Roger Federer (Swi) bt Jose Acasuso (Arg) 5-7 6-3 6-3 2-0 ret, Wesley Moodie (Rsa) bt Albert Montanes (Spa) 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 6-2, Rafael Nadal (Spa) bt Fernando Vicente (Spa) 6-4 6-3 6-3, Anthony Dupuis (Fra) bt Mikhail Youzhny (Rus) 5-7 6-4 3-6 6-3 7-5, Nicolas Massu (Chi) bt (30) Gaston Gaudio (Arg) 6-3 6-3 6-2, (13) David Nalbandian (Arg) bt Phillip Kohlschreiber (Ger) 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 6-3, (7) Carlos Moya (Spa) bt Scott Draper (Aus) 4-6 6-4 7-5 7-6 (8-6), Jan-Michael Gambill (USA) bt David Sanchez (Spa) 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 6-2, (10) Jiri Novak (Cze) bt Mario Ancic (Cro) 3-6 6-3 5-7 6-2 6-2, Jean-Rene Lisnard (Fra) bt Magnus Norman (Swe) 6-2 6-2 6-7 (4-7) 0-6 7-6 (7-4), James Blake (USA) bt (27) Mariano Zabaleta (Arg) 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 6-2, Sargis Sargsian (Arm) bt Amer Delic (USA) 4-6 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 7-5.

Women's Singles 2nd rd: (15) Ai Sugiyama (Jpn) bt Virginie Razzano (Fra) 1-6 6-3 6-3, Saori Obata (Jpn) bt (32) Marie-Gaiane Mikaelian (Swi) 7-5 6-4, Claudine Schaul (Lux) bt Samantha Reeves (USA) 6-1 4-6 6-3, Dinara Safina (Rus) bt Ludmila Cervanova (Svk) 6-4 6-1, Mary Pierce (Fra) bt (22) Jelena Dokic (Ser) 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-5) Shinobu Asagoe (Jpn) bt Tathiana Garbin (Ita) 6-2 3-6 6-2 (5) Amelie Mauresmo (Fra) bt Stephanie Cohen Aloro (Fra) 6-2 6-2, Tamarine Tanasugarn (Tha) bt (18) Patty Schnyder (Swi) 6-4 6-2, Elena Likhovtseva (Rus) bt Maria Vento-Kabchi (Ven) 7-5 6-3, Fabiola Zuluaga (Col) bt Myriam Casanova (Swi) 7-5 6-3, Maria Kirilenko (Rus) bt Anca Barna (Ger) 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-5, (9) Daniela Hantuchova (Svk) bt Julia Vakulenko (Ukr) 6-0 7-6 (7-5), (1) Kim Clijsters (Bel) bt Laura Granville (USA) 6-1 6-1, (27) Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) bt Petra Mandula (Hun) 6-3 6-3, (19) Nadia Petrova (Rus) bt Denisa Chladkova (Cze) 6-1 6-2, (17) Meghann Shaughnessy (USA) bt Maja Matevzic (Slo) 6-3 7-5, (13) Vera Zvonareva (Rus) bt Ashley Harkleroad (USA) 6-3 4-6 6-1, (24) Paola Suarez (Arg) bt Milagros Sequera (Ven) 6-1 6-0, Alicia Molik (Aus) bt (12) Conchita Martinez (Spa) 7-5 6-4, Melinda Czink (Hun) bt (28) Lisa Raymond (USA) 4-6 6-4 6-1, (14) Amanda Coetzer (Rsa) bt Barbara Schett (Aut) 3-6 7-5 6-2, (3) Lindsay Davenport (USA) bt Maria Elena Camerin (Ita) 6-2 6-4.