Lleyton Hewitt Articles

[Cilla]

Thought we could use this thread to post articles about our Lleyt ;D Starting with the latest from the Hopman Cup

Aussies in blistering form

THE Australian pairing of Lleyton Hewitt and Alicia Molik are on track for a berth in the final of this year’s $1-million ITF Hyundai Hopman Cup championship being played at Perth’s Burswood Dome.

With Molik notching an upset 6-4, 6-2 win over world No. 8 Daniela Hantuchova in 67 minutes and Hewitt blasting Dominik Hrbaty off the court 6-2, 6-0 in under the hour, the Aussies have claimed victory over the Slovak Republic, with the mixed doubles to follow.

Molik’s victory was achieved with some tremendous serving as she posted seven aces and continually put pressure on Hantuchova’s service to hold 12 break points. Even though she only clinched three of those, it was enough to secure a comfortable victory.

Hewitt was in devastating form against Hrbaty, who has one of the best returns of service in the game, but today it was of no significance as the Australian allowed him just three break points, but did not concede service once.

Seeded No. 2 for the 15th international mixed teams championship, the Australians have now won both matches as they chase their second Cup victory and they are yet to drop a set. With the third-seeded Czech Republic looming as their major rivals to top their Group, Thursday’s clash will determine the finalist from their sector.

The New Year opens with the top seeds and tournament favourites USA up against defending champions Spain in the morning, followed by the Czech Republic and Italy in the evening session.


Australia wins second match in a row at Hopman Cup

December 31, 2002

PERTH, Australia (AP) -- Alicia Molik upset Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 6-2 and Lleyton Hewitt beat Dominik Hrbaty 6-2, 6-0 as Australia swept Slovakia 3-0 at the Hopman Cup on Tuesday.

It was the second straight loss in the tournament for the world eighth-ranked Hantuchova, and the first win over a top-10 player by Molik, who is ranked 94th.

Molik, who beat Italian world No. 17 Silvia Farina Elia on Sunday, and Hewitt finished the day with a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) win over the Slovakians in mixed doubles.

Molik's powerful serve and heavy ground strokes frustrated an error-prone Hantuchova. Molik had numerous breakpoint opportunities in the first set and finally cracked Hantuchova's serve on her ninth break point in the ninth game.

She then served out the set with an ace. Hantuchova fell apart in the second set as the 21-year-old Molik cruised to victory in 66 minutes.

``I have had a lot of opportunities to beat players like that and I haven't followed through,'' Molik said. ``So to come here and beat two top 20 players off the bat is nice.''

It was the only match played Tuesday. On Wednesday, the United States takes on Spain and the Czech Republic plays Italy.

Hewitt clinches win for Australia at Hopman Cup

December 31, 2002

PERTH, Australia (Ticker) - World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt led Australia to a round-robin sweep of Slovakia on Tuesday at the $1 million Hopman Cup, a mixed team tennis championship.

Hewitt, the reigning Wimbledon champion, never lost his serve and needed less than an hour to roll to a 6-2, 6-0 rout of Dominik Hrbaty. That gave Australia an unassailable two matches to none lead over Slovakia in the Group B contest.

In mixed doubles, Hewitt and Alicia Molik outdueled Hrbaty and world No. 8 Daniela Hantuchova, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-5).

In the women's singles match, Molik surprised Hantuchova, recording seven aces en route to a 6-4, 6-2 triumph.

Group B features host Australia, Italy, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Australia and the Czechs won their opening ties on Saturday, while Italy and the Czech Republic square off Wednesday.

The United States, Belgium, defending champion Spain and Uzbekistan make up Group A. The Americans and Spaniards clash Wednesday.

The tournament uses a "super" tiebreaker, in which the first team to 10 points wins, with a margin of at least two.

[angele87]

Read the last paragraph lol... the way they use looming, they make it sound like it's world war III or something


Molik serves notice
By Scott Coghlan, Tennis
January 01, 2003
ALICIA MOLIK had a New Year's Eve to remember, claiming her first top-10 scalp by beating world No. 8 Daniela Hantuchova in straight sets.

World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt then sealed an Australian win in the Group B tie against the Slovak Republic with a clinical victory over Dominik Hrbaty.

The Australians also combined to win the mixed doubles in straight sets, ensuring the tournament's second seeds are firmly on course for Saturday's final, having beaten Italy 3-0 on Sunday.

In a timely boost for the new season and the upcoming Australian Open, Molik backed up an impressive win over Italy's Silvia Farina-Elia, ranked No. 17 in the world, by toppling Hantuchova 6-4 6-2.

Although Molik is the lowest ranked woman at the Hopman Cup at No.94, her form in Perth has justified Hewitt's decision to nominate her as his preferred partner instead of the higher-ranked Nicole Pratt.









"My first top-10 scalp. That was something I was searching for this year and it came on the last day," a jubilant Molik said.

"I've had a lot of opportunities to beat players like that and I haven't followed through. To come here and beat two top-20 players gives me a lot of confidence for 2003."

Armed with an impressive artillery of groundstrokes and a booming serve, but burdened by a questionable temperament under pressure and often criticised for a lack of mobility on court, Molik has carried the hopes of women's tennis in Australia since the defection of Jelena Dokic.

But Molik didn't play to her potential in winning just 12 of 34 singles matches in 23 tournaments in 2002 before the Hopman Cup.

The 21-year-old's solitary win in the four grand slams came at the expense of little known Austrian Patricia Wartusch at the US Open. And she only advanced past the second round in two events as her ranking slid from a career high of 47.

She started the Hopman Cup with a highly encouraging win over Farina-Elia and the win over Hantuchova has Molik eagerly anticipating her best year on the tour.

"I really believe I can keep my form up for the entire year and not just for a couple of matches here and there, as I have done in the past," said Molik, whose imposing serve stopped Hantuchova from getting into the match.

"It is a matter of keeping that level of play up throughout the year. I really believe I can do it in 2003 and have more of those types of results."

While Hantuchova made 42 unforced errors, Molik was clearly in the groove.

Molik's serve reached speeds of more than 180km/h, including seven aces, while she conceded just 14 points on serve in the match. And her mobility has improved noticeably.

Hantuchova, a Wimbledon and US Open quarter-finalist last year, was also beaten by Daja Bedanova on Sunday. She conjured only two break points, compared to a dozen for Molik.

There was no sign of any mental frailty from the South Australian as she needed just two set points in the match, slamming down aces on each occasion to stamp her authority.

With his New Year's Eve date at the annual Hopman Cup ball with Belgian girlfriend Kim Clijsters looming, Hewitt thrashed the talented Hrbaty 6-2 6-0. Hewitt made few errors during the match and broke Hrbaty's serve on five occasions in an ominous warning to those players coveting his No.1 ranking in the year ahead.

[Cilla]

Australia advances to final at Hopman Cup

January 2, 2003

PERTH, Australia (Ticker) - Despite a loss by World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, Australia defeated the Czech Republic and advanced to the final of the the $1 million Hopman Cup, a mixed team tennis championship.

Hewitt won five titles in the 2002 season, including the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. He cruised to straight-sets wins in his first two matches here this week, but fell to Jiri Novak, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 on Thursday.

Alicia Molik had given the Australians the lead as she defeated Daja Bedanova, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5. Molik rallied from a 5-1 deficit in the first set and then teamed with Hewitt for a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10-4) victory over Bedanova and Novak.

The tournament uses a "super" tiebreaker, in which the first team to 10 points, by at least two points, wins.

Earlier Thursday, Kim Clijsters and Xavier Malisse led Belgium to a 3-0 win over Uzbekistan.

Clijsters, the fourth ranked woman in the world, cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 romp over Iroda Tulyagnova in a match that lasted just 57 minutes. Malisse had a little more difficulty, but posted a 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 6-2 victory over Oleg Ogorodov.

Clijsters and Malisse routed Tulyaganova and Ogorodov, 6-1, 6-1, in 41 minutes to advance to a meeting with the United States on Friday.

The U.S. defeated defending champion Spain, 3-0, on Wednesday. Australia faces the U.S. or Belgium in the final Saturday.

[Snipe]

My first post so I come bearing gifts (of a sort)I can't post the full interview because it is too long. Alicia and Lleyton's interview from yesterday.

www.hopmancup.com.au/news_show.asp?NWS_NewsID=89

Also Serena and James' interview. I thought she was rude when asked about Ll but see what you think.

www.hopmancup.com.au/news_show.asp?NWS_NewsID=91

[Snipe]

The basic message in this is don't panic (yet)

www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/01/04/1041566269193.html

[Two Turtle Doves]

Hrmm... *wonders about copyright issues*

OK. Article taken from
www.pacificlifeopen.com/en/news/news847_rx.asp
[accessed 12 March 2003]

Hewitt Saves Three Match Points to Hold No.1

It was once said that Lleyton Hewitt lacked a major weapon to become the No.1 player in the world. Perhaps that was because we couldn't see it. But the weapon has always been there.
Hewitt's mental toughness is unrivaled in today's game and ranks alongside that of Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg and Jim Courier.

At the Pacific Life Open on Monday, Hewitt's resolved faced an enormous test when Younes El Aynaoui held two match points while serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set. The Moroccan had won 32 consecutive service games against Hewitt dating back to his four-set victory at the Australian Open.

Hewitt, who had nailed a sparkling backhand winner down the line - which landed on the line - to save a match point on his own serve in the previous game, clawed back to save two more match points and then break El Aynaoui. He then held serve and broke El Aynaoui for the second consecutive time to take the set.

After that, it was simply a matter of time. Hewitt secured two more breaks in the third set to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Gustavo Kuerten breezed into the second round of the Pacific Life Open Tuesday when he scored a 6-2, 6-4 win over Goran Ivanisevic, whose power serving is still restricted by a shoulder injury.

Ivanisevic said: "My elbow actually hurts a lot now. Still cannot serve, maybe like 50%, 60%. Second serve is very slow. I need matches. My fifth set, after one year, I still feel little bit lost on the court. Especially when you play a guy like Guga, you have to be able to serve 100 percent. I didn't feel very well on the court, so I was a little bit lost in the space today.

"With this kind of serving, I don't think I can win too much matches because before when I serve, at least one or two free points on my serve. Even when they return my serve, I have easy forehand or volley to make a winner. Now I can't rely anymore on my serve. I have to stay back, improvise something, come in on a pretty bad second serve or first serve. I'm going to still play, I don't know till when. If I have to play, last tournament is going to be Wimbledon for me. But I'm not going to decide yet."

[Two Turtle Doves]

Article taken from www.sportinglife.com/tennis/news/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=tennis/03/03/13/TENNIS_Indian_Wells.html
[accessed 13 March 2003]

Can't seem to find any articles that are solely about Lleyton's match...

SEEDS FALL AT INDIAN WELLS

Brian Vahaly was not supposed to be playing in the Masters Series event at Indian Wells this week, but now the American qualifier is in the third round of the Pacific Life Open.

Vahaly upset third seed Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain 6-4 3-6 6-3 on Wednesday in the second round of the hardcourt event.

The 23-year-old Atlanta resident made it into the qualifying draw only after four players withdrew. After reaching the main draw, he eliminated number 21 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile in the first round before posting his first career win over a top-10 player.

"This has been a good tournament for me," said Vahaly, who is 82nd on the ATP Entry Rankings.

"I can't believe it. I almost didn't get into qualifying. I was so nervous, I didn't expect to play. To go from that, it's all happened so fast. I couldn't be happier."

World number one and defending champion Lleyton Hewitt's appearance in the third round is more expected.

One day after saving three match points in a first-round win over Younes El Aynaoui, the 22-year-old Australian continued his domination of Russia's Yevgeny Kafelnikov with a 6-3 6-2 triumph - his seventh in eight career meetings with the two-time Grand Slam champion.

Also, fifth seed Carlos Moya of Spain crushed Arnaud Clement of France 6-0 6-2; sixth-seeded American Andy Roddick topped Spain's Feliciano Lopez 6-4 6-3; and number seven Marat Safin of Russia posted a 6-4 6-3 win over Australian Mark Philippoussis, who was coming off a runner-up effort last week at Scottsdale.

Ferrero was one of seven seeded players to fall. Former world number one Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil up-ended fourth seed Roger Federer of Switzerland 7-5 7-6 (7-3); lucky loser Olivier Rochus of Belgium eliminated eighth seed and reigning French Open champion Albert Costa of Spain 5-7 6-4 6-4; and Argentinian Agustin Calleri toppled 13th seed Tim Henman of Britain, last year's finalist 6-4 7-6 (7-4).

In addition, Spain's Tommy Robredo downed number 14 Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands 5-7 6-2 6-0, and Guillermo Coria of Argentina routed number 16 Alex Corretja of Spain.

On the women's side, two-time champion Lindsay Davenport booked a semi-final showdown with second seed Jennifer Capriati or Russian Vera Zvonareva when fifth-seeded French star Amelie Mauresmo was forced to withdraw due to an acute throat infection.

"I am very disappointed I will not be able to continue at this year's Pacific Life Open," Mauresmo, who spent the day in bed, said in a statement.

"I truly enjoyed playing here and I was looking forward to my match against Lindsay."

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From: news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/2848993.stm
[accessed March 14 2003]


Hewitt eases past Coria

Pacific Life Open, Indian Wells

Hewitt was given a hard work-out by Coria
Defending champion Lleyton Hewitt was taken to a third set before finally defeating Argentina's Guillermo Coria to reach the last eight.

Hewitt beat Coria 6-7 (7/3) 6-4 6-3 and will now play American qualifier Robby Ginepri.

Ginepri had a comfortable 6-0 6-1 win over seventh seed Marat Safin who was struggling with flu-like symptoms.

Hewitt only has to reach the semi-finals to maintain his world number one ranking ahead of Andre Agassi.

Hewitt took two hours, 35 minutes to subdue Coria, who outplayed the top-seeded Australian for much of the first set.

Coria reached his fourth career ATP final at the Copa AT&T in Buenos Aires only two weeks ago.

Australian Open finalist Rainer Schuettler went through after beating Max Mirnyi of Belarus 6-3 6-4.

Fifth seed Carlos Moya bowed out losing in three sets to American James Blake.

Moya started well winning the first set 7-5 but Blake roared back to take the second 6-3 and clinch the match 6-2 in the third.

Blake's compatriots Brian Vahaly and Vince Spadea joined him in the next round after defeating Tommy Robredo of Spain and Belgium's Oliver Rochus.

[Two Turtle Doves]

Lleyton keeps the #1 spot for now! ;D

Article taken from: www.pacificlifeopen.com/en/news/news904_rx.asp
[accessed 15 March 2003]

Hewitt Holds No.1; Reaches Semis

Defending champion Lleyton Hewitt won through to the semifinals of the Pacific Life Open for the third consecutive year when he defeated Robby Ginepri 6-4, 6-2 Friday. Hewitt's victory ensured that he would retain the No.1 ranking that he would have surrendered to Andre Agassi had he lost today. Hewitt has held the No.1 position in the ATP Entry Rankings for 69 consecutive weeks - the second longest streak for any first-time No.1 behind Jimmy Connors (160 weeks).
Hewitt thrashed Ginepri 6-0, 6-0 when they met for the first time in Cincinnati last year. But the young American qualifier, who defeated an out-of-sorts Marat Safin 6-0, 6-1 on Thursday, produced a much more competitive match this time. He held serve to love in the opening game of the match and later twice held break point for a 4-2 lead in the first set.

Hewitt, who won the Scottsdale title last week, has won nine consecutive matches and is now 13-1 on the year, his only loss coming in the fourth round of the Australian Open to Younes El Aynaoui, whom he saved three match points against in the first round here this week.

"It's nine in 11 days I've won now," Hewitt said. "That's a lot of tennis. You throw in the doubles that I played [Hewitt made the Scottsdale doubles final with Mark Philippoussis] as well as making the final there. I've got that match toughness going now, match hardened. I'd like to keep it going. You don't want to get carried away because you're on a winning streak, you've got to keep going. Go out there with an open mind and play as well as you can."

Asked if he felt unbeatable, Hewitt said: "No, not really. Not unbeatable. I don't think anyone's unbeatable. I feel like my confidence is high at the moment. I feel like I can beat anyone on any given day, yes. But unbeatable...I think you can leave that to Tiger."

Hewitt paid tribute to his semifinal opponent, Vince Spadea. "You've got to take your hat off to Vince. Hell of an effort for what he's done. The way that he's come back after losing so many first rounds there for a while... he obviously broke the drought against Rusedski at Wimbledon. We really didn't see him for a while after that. He was playing the Challengers and the Futures. The way he's bounced back and gone about his business very quietly, sort of got his ranking back up there, it's pretty amazing."

[Two Turtle Doves]

Hewitt reaches the final! ;D ;D ;D


Article taken from:
[accessed 16 March 2003]

Hewitt Closes on Title Defense

Defending champion Lleyton Hewitt won his 11th consecutive match at Indian Wells to advance to his second consecutive Pacific Life Open final by beating American qualifier Vince Spadea 7-6(5), 6-1 Saturday. Spadea took the match to Hewitt in the first set of the semifinal but the Australian busted open the match in the second set to improve his 2003 match record to 13-1.

Hewitt made 22 unforced errors in the first set, more than he often makes during a three-set match. Spadea had a point for 5-2 during the first set but was brought undone by an unlucky let cord while at net. Trailing 3-6 in the tie-break, Spadea saved two set points on the Hewitt serve but then double faulted for the second time in the 'breaker to hand the set to the defending champion.

From that point Hewitt ran away with the match, claiming a double break in the second set as he tightened his game. (He made just nine unforced errors in the second set.)

Hewitt is attempting to become the first back-to-back champion in Indian Wells since Michael Chang in 1996-97.

"I wasn't quite as sharp as I could have been at the start of today's match, but I got better as the match went on," Hewitt said. "The second set I played a lot better.

"I think I've been getting better and better with every match. Started off with a tough draw early on against El Aynaoui. I survived that match. I've had some pretty tough matches. The Coria match was very tough as well. I feel like I've been getting my rhythm a lot better during the week. The last couple of days have been a lot windier out there. It's actually tougher to play with your rhythm. I felt like I'm a little bit slow starting, but in the end I've played better tennis."

In the final Hewitt plays the winner of German Rainer Schuettler and Gustavo Kuerten. When Hewitt and Kuerten last met - at Davis Cup level on clay in 2001 - the Australian scored a spectacular straight-sets win on clay in Kuerten's home town of Florianopolis.

"I think it was the best I've ever played," Hewitt said. "In those conditions, in that atmosphere, on my worst surface and his best surface. Yeah, in such a big match, a clutch match... a lot of people have told me I was hitting bad bounces in the middle of the racquet that day. I'm not sure why, but I went out there and just played one of my best matches. I'm not really sure why. Everything I sort of touched that day turned to gold."

Spadea, who will jump from 42nd to around 11th in the ATP Champions Race after his spectacular run this week, said that he was delighted to reach the last four in Indian Wells.

"It's something I've never done before. It's the furthest I've gone, period, in a Tennis Masters Series. To qualify, that's an extra bonus in my mentality when I'm playing next week and throughout this year. I'm striving for things that I haven't done before, and these are the kind of moments that are rewarding based on what I've been trying to focus on.

"I just ran out of gas a little bit [in the second set]. He upped his level slightly. My serve kind of deserted me today. I think that hurt me a lot because it put pressure on me to play long rallies. It's difficult to beat him every point doing that, especially when he's getting free points on his serve.

"He exploits every part of your game, and he's trying to wear you down and trying to beat you. He plays great defense. If you give him a short ball, he plays efficient offense... Once you do feel like you've won the point, you're at net, understand he's scrambling to pass you, which is one of his weapons, as well. He's got a lot of weapons that aren't so obvious, as well as the ones that are obvious."

[Two Turtle Doves]

... and he defends his title! ;D

article taken from: www.pacificlifeopen.com/en/news/news937_rx.asp
[accessed 17 March 2003]

Ruthless Hewitt Defends Title

Lleyton Hewitt produced his most ruthless performance in an ATP final at the Pacific Life Open Sunday, beating Gustavo Kuerten 6-1, 6-1 to claim his 19th career singles title and his second Tennis Masters Series shield. Hewitt, who last year conceded just three games to Tim Henman in the Indian Wells final, successfully defended a title for the fifth time. The Australian is the first player to defend the Indian Wells title since Michael Chang in 1996-97.
It was the second time Hewitt has won a title after saving match points during the tournament (San Jose 2002). In the first round Hewitt saved three match points (spread across two games) to defeat Younes El Aynaoui. Hewitt extended his winning streak to 12 matches dating back to his loss to El Aynaoui in the fourth round of the Australian Open. He is now 15-1 on the season.

Hewitt, who last week won the Scottsdale singles title and reached the doubles final, has played 15 matches (11 singles, four doubles) in 14 days.

Hewitt, the two-time defending Tennis Masters Cup champion and two-time reigning year-end No.1, moves to fourth place in the ATP Champions Race with 165 points, just two points behind Roger Federer. Kuerten moves to fifth place. Rainer Schuettler, who would have usurped the Race lead from Agassi had he not lost to Kuerten in the semifinals, remains in second place in the Race, but has closed to within 10 points of Agassi.

Kuerten became the first non-American to reach the final of all four North American hard court Tennis Masters Series tournaments. The Brazilian, who was the year-end No.1 and Tennis Masters Cup champion in 2000, was playing his second match of the day, having resumed his semifinal match against Rainer Schuettler early in the second set at 9:00 am. Kuerten won that match 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. When Kuerten won his last Tennis Masters Series title in 2001 in Cincinnati, he also played two matches on the final day.

Although Hewitt conceded he entered the final with the advantage of having completed his semifinal on Saturday, he said he was wary of Kuerten....

"It's always an interesting situation when you have someone coming off playing this morning and being on cloud nine, making a Masters Series final, then having to turn around in an hour and a half and have to go out and play the final.

"But it works both ways. I'd like to go to bed the night before knowing who I'm going to wake up and play the next day. I was wary. I lost to Pat [Rafter] in Cincinnati semifinals two years ago and Guga didn't get to play his semi. He came out and beat Henman five in the third, {then] chopped Pat one and two in the final. I was very aware that Guga is capable of coming out and playing another good match."

"My last three matches I got better and better. That's what you've got to do when you get in the quarters. But it's important to survive those early ones. I had to survive a couple of scares early. I got through those tough ones and was able to focus on the bigger matches from then on. Both weeks have gone a little bit the same. I think I got better from the quarters onwards in Scottsdale, as well."

[Two Turtle Doves]

What an absolutely shitty day.

Article taken from www.atptennis.com/en/newsandscores/news/news/miami7.asp [accessed22 March 2003]

Huge Upset on Stadium Court
Hewitt falls to stomach bug, crafty veteran in straight sets.

He arrived in Miami as the Pacific Life Open champion, having won 12 consecutive matches dating back to early February. But an upset stomach and an inspired veteran by the name of Francisco Clavet ended World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt's match winning streak with a stunning first round upset.

Clavet played patiently and consistently when he needed to and went for aggressive shots at the right time to defeat the top seed 6-4, 6-4. It was Hewitt's first defeat in the opening match of a tournament since losing to Felix Mantilla last year at the Tennis Masters Series Canada. And it is just the second time the top seed has lost in the second round of the NASDAQ-100 Open in 15 years. Thomas Muster lost to Nicolas Perreira in the second round in 1996.

Clavet is the oldest player in the draw, a 34-year-old veteran who has announced he is retiring at the end of the summer tennis season. He has played well here in the past, reaching the semifinals in 1999 and has won eight career ATP titles. His last tournament title came in Scottsdale, where Clavet defeated Hewitt in the semifinals en route to his only hard court win.

"I felt like I couldn't rally out there, I felt like I had to go for my shots," said Hewitt, who was up last night with a case a food poisoning after dinner. "I didn't feel good. He played about as well as he could have but I just couldn't go out and play the way I wanted."

For his part, Clavet said he is still motivated out there, despite 15 years on tour. "Right now, these matches are the ones I like to play. It's why I'm still playing, because I like these situations. I like to play in the stadium against players like Hewitt."

But he says he has no thoughts of his impending retirement, even with a supportive crowd. "Of course I like to do well for the crowd because they are supporting me. I like to play here, during the years. The crowd has always been very supportive of me. I like to play for them, but not because I'm thinking it's going to be my last time."

At 178 in the ATP Entry Rankings, Clavet is the fourth-lowest ranked player ever to defeat a World No. 1. The qualifier Clavet has now won four matches here and next plays Korea's Hyung-Taik Lee in the third round.

[Lee]

Hi Allan, sorry about Lleyton's lost Food poisoning again!

[Two Turtle Doves]

Thanks, Lee *hug*

[Two Turtle Doves]

Lleyton regains #1 ;D.... by default. I wish he'd start playing tournaments again.

[article taken from: www.atptennis.com/en/newsandscores/news/news/rome1.asp, accessed 6 May 2003]

Agassi Stunned By Ferrer
Lleyton Hewitt regains the World No. 1 ranking.

Andre Agassi's 0-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 first-round loss to Spain's David Ferrer on the opening day of the Telecom Italia Masters Roma not only meant the top seeded American will not defend his title, but it elevated Lleyton Hewitt back to the World No. 1 ranking for next week, even though the Australian is not playing this week.

Only two weeks ago, en route to winning the title in Houston, Agassi, 33, earned the honor as the oldest No. 1 player in the history of the ATP Entry Rankings. Agassi's performance that week was so impressive that he seemed primed to hold on to the top ranking coming into Rome, where he captured the trophy last year at the season's second Tennis Masters Series event on clay.

But Agassi could not maintain a 6-0 first-set lead against Ferrer. In the second set, the Spaniard pulled his game together, won a crucial tie-break, then broke Agassi at 4-4 in the final set.

In other first-round action, No. 15 seed Guillermo Coria of Argentine defeated Tim Henman 6-2, 6-1 and Roland Garros champion Albert Costa outlasted Croatian qualifier Zeljko Krajan 6-4, 7-5. American Mardy Fish continued to show signs of his improving game, defeating Fabrice Santoro 7-5, 7-5. And Andy Roddick advanced to the second round with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Italy's Andrea Gaudenzi.

Rainer Schuettler, now No 3 in the ATP Champions Race, also earned an early-round victory over Magnus Norman, winning in straight sets. Schuetter is only 14 points behind Juan Carlos Ferrero in the Race. A strong run in Rome could push him into the second position.

No. 6 seed Marat Safin pulled out of the event with a left wrist injury that re-occured during his practice on Sunday with Andy Roddick. He tried to practice on Monday, but couldn't. He's returned to Moscow to go see his doctor. He will be replaced in the draw by lucky loser Nicolas Massu of Chile.

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[article taken from www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/articles/20030527142616633d0fab8e162e1300256d330049e72c.html. accessed 28 May 2003]

Hewitt grinds down rookie
By Nyree Epplett
Tuesday, May 27, 2003

Top seed Lleyton Hewitt opened his 2003 French Open campaign by grinding down American rookie Brian Vahaly in four long sets on Court Suzanne Lenglen early Tuesday afternoon.

The 22-year-old Australian spent a gruelling three hours, 13 minutes under the sunny Parisian skies, gradually exhausting the inexperienced Vahaly 6-4 6-1 6-7(6) 6-1 with a mediocre display of baseline tennis. A combined unforced error count of 201 painted a dismal picture of today's less than impressive performance by both players.

Vahaly, a tenacious 23-year-old from Georgia, plays a counter-punching game that resembles that of his hero Michael Chang. To date, he is yet to win a Grand Slam singles match, and owns just one career win on clay (from four matches). Today though, the 52-ranked American used some clever defensive wit and a lethal double-fisted backhand to stretch the reigning Wimbledon champ to the limit in the first set and again in the third.

Hewitt struggled from the backcourt initially, frustrated by the terrier-like retrievals of his opponent. He drew on a comparative wealth of Grand Slam experience to clinch the opener in 58 minutes and then raised the tempo in the second set, pouncing on short balls and adding a dose of patience to his baseline game.

Down two sets to love and 0-3 in his Roland-Garros debut, Vahaly recovered to draw even at 6-6, before Hewitt secured three match points…only to blunder all of them. Vahaly took advantage of an inexplicable break in Hewitt's concentration to snatch the set.

A fired-up Hewitt stepped up a gear in the final set, taking the balls high, smoking his inside-out-forehands and breaking the American three times to close out the match. En route he pounded down 40 winners to Vahaly's 17.

He will now face the winner of the match between Britain's Greg Rusedski and Russia's Nikolay Davydenko.

[Two Turtle Doves]

Not the most inspiring of performances so far, but it's clay. I'll take any win.

Article taken from
www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/articles/200305291558148deea7ec5e03309800256d3500525503.html
accessed 30 May 2003.

Hewitt goes to wall against Davydenko
By Matthew Cronin
Thursday, May 29, 2003

In yet another long and tortuous struggle at Roland-Garros, top-ranked Lleyton Hewitt need to call upon all of his vast reserves to down talented Russian Nikolay Davydenko 6-3 4-6 6-3 7-6(5) in a three and a half hour dogfight on Thursday.

Playing in hot conditions on Philippe Chatrier Court, Hewitt squandered numerous opportunities to close out the match, including failing to take advantage of being ahead a break in the second set, and when he was broken twice serving for the match in the fourth set.

Hewitt had three difficult tussles last year before falling to Guillermo Canas 7-6 6-7 4-6 3-6 last year and in 2001, fell to Canas in a four-hour-plus, five-setter.

Against the smooth-groundstroking Russian, Hewitt had an awful time penetrating the court, frequently hit his forehand short and rarely was able rip returns or get cheap points off his serve.

Still, Hewitt was far steadier than Davydenko, who flew balls on big points and was unable to keep his composure in the fourth set.

Hewitt served for the match at 5-4 and held a match point, but the Russian pasted a backhand down-the-line winner. Hewitt was then broken on a backhand unforced error to 5-5. The Aussie then broke Davydenko again to 6-5, but was broken to 6-6 on another backhand winner by the Russian.

Hewitt feel behind 0-3 in the tiebreaker, but then the Russian fell apart, committing six unforced errors and losing the match when he framed a forehand.

Davydenko committed a whopping 112 unforced errors in the match, while Hewitt committed 72. However, Hewitt only managed 10 winners from the baseline during the contest.

[Two Turtle Doves]

Article taken from
www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/articles/20030531134427cc3cd215a0ac9bc200256d3700461444.html
accessed June 1 2003

Robredo stuns Hewitt
By Matthew Cronin
Saturday, May 31, 2003

In perhaps the most stunning collapse of his young career, top-ranked Lleyton Hewitt was shocked 4-6 1-6 6-3 6-2 6-3 by Spaniard Tommy Robredo in the third round on Saturday.

Hewitt appeared to have seized control of the match in the fifth set when he screamed and sped his way to a 3-0 lead, but then his level of play dropped precipitously and the Aussie slipped, slid and dropped six straight games and the match. For his part, Robredo never appeared to tire and kept fighting, keeping the ball deep, serving huge at key moments and nailing the corners with his whipping forehands.

The pumped-up crowd at Roland-Garros' main upset court – nicknamed the 'Bull Ring' - was loudly behind the 21-year-old Spaniard, who never became unnerved by Hewitt's serial fist-pumping, loud yells of "C'mon!" and "Fight!" and frequent bouts of swearing.

Hewitt broke Robredo to 2-0 in the fifth when he forced the Spaniard into a forehand error and played a solid game to hold to 3-0. But Robredo then began to climb back into the match, holding to 1-3 in a game where Hewitt loudly admonished a linesperson for standing too close to the court.

Robredo broke Hewitt to 3-2 when the Aussie double faulted, and then broke him again to 4-3 when the two-time Grand Slam champion double-faulted again. Robredo fought off a break point in the next game by caressing a drop shot that Hewitt scooped up and then hammered a forehand down-the-line passing shot.

With Hewitt serving at 15-15 in the final game, Robredo stroked a gorgeous running backhand pass down the line and watched Hewitt commit a forehand error to gain two match points. Hewitt was clearly emotionally drained and on the first match point, parked an easy backhand long.

[Brinyi]

"Hewitt and fiancee, actor Bec Cartwright, have bought a $4.5 million house at Palm Beach on Sydney's upper northern beaches to add to his three existing properties in Adelaide and another new purchase, a penthouse in Melbourne."

Okay. He officially has more homes than I do!

[molala]

HEWITT'S BIG DAY

Lleyton Hewitt and Bec Cartwright will marry on Thursday at the Sydney Opera House, according to the latest reports in Australia.

The pair were desperate to keep the location under wraps, and the 200 guests will not know for certain where the ceremony is to place until they arrive for drinks at the InterContinental Hotel.

However, the Australian media is convinced the pair will be married at the famous Sydney landmark before a lavish reception at Taronga Zoo.

Home and Away actress Cartwright will apparently wear a white 'baby-doll' dress designed by Alex Perry.

Hewitt's best man will be coach Roger Rasheed.

The world number two proposed to Cartwright hours after losing the Australian Open final to Marat Safin.

The pair are expecting their first baby in October.

[molala]

kinda about lleyton but also aussie tennis players (from the SMH from todd w's book whose title is too long):

Retired doubles great Todd Woodbridge believes Hewitt is misunderstood and not given a chance by his detractors.

In Todd Woodbridge - The remarkable story of the world's greatest doubles player, to be released today, Woodbridge covers a broad spectrum of topics from his 16-year career on the ATP Tour.

He claims Pat Rafter retired too early and could have won Wimbledon; that he accepted Australia's decision to dump him from doubles duty in the ill-fated Davis Cup final defeat in 2001; and that Mark Philippoussis wasn't the only one to blame for Australia's shocking loss to Zimbabwe three years earlier.

The 34-year-old laments being touted a doubles "specialist" after also enjoying a successful singles career that featured a Wimbledon semi-final appearance and two ATP titles.

He reveals the torment of his brother's heroin addiction and the freakish deaths - 15 months apart - of close friends Payne Stewart in a plane crash and Renay Appleby, the wife of Australian golfer Stuart, in a car accident, and expresses his anguish at being arrested at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

Woodbridge, the winner of a record 83 doubles titles, including 16 grand slams, says Hewitt is sociable and a great sport who has suffered more than any other player in Australian tennis history at the hands of the media.

"Lleyton came under a lot of criticism as a teenager for some of his belligerent gestures and controversial comments,"Woodbridge writes. "Off court, he enjoys company and mixes well. In fact, he's more sociable than many of the top players, and is courteous to strangers."

[Brinyi]

I'm not finished yet: Hewitt

Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt has rejected claims made by Pat Rafter that he has lost his desire to play tennis.

Rafter told the Herald Sun newspaper he believed his former Davis Cup team-mate looked "tired" and was "only just hanging in there".

Despite making the quarter-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open this year, Hewitt has endured an injury-plagued season with his world ranking falling to 19.

But Hewitt said it was premature to suggest his career was on a downward spiral.

"Pat and I know each other so well and that but I think in terms of injuries this year, it has been hard for me regardless purely because I've had so many niggling injuries," he said.

"I think in terms of next year I feel like there's still small areas on my game that I can work on and become a better player than even when I was number one or number two, only a year-and-a-half ago."

Hewitt will not play again this year upon medical advice so he can recover from a knee injury that recently flared up during the US hard-court season.

The 25-year-old was confident he would benefit from the forced lay-off and return to the top 10 in 2007.

"That's the time now that you've got to do the proper rehab and do everything possible," he said.

"I'm treating it like a preseason and getting the best out of my body to be in as good as shape possible, not only for the Australian summer next year but right through the year so I can have a good crack at it and obviously finish in the top couple in the world."

Hewitt is the only Australian male ranked in the top 100 and he said he agreed with Rafter's assertion that tennis was struggling in this country.

"It is a fair comment," he said.

"There's no doubt that we want and we need more players not only in the top 100, we want top 50, top 20.

"But we keep going over this every year. Every time I come back whether it's to play Davis Cup or the Australian tournaments, you get asked the same questions and it's still the same."

Hewitt has confirmed he will contest the Sydney International at Homebush next January, a tournament he has won on four occasions.

Spain's Rafael Nadal and America's defending champion James Blake will also play in Sydney.

[Brinyi]

Little Lleyki is apparently a papa once again, by virtue of the birth of a boy. They have burdened him with the name Cruz.

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

Lleyton and Bec Hewitt would appear to have been inspired by "peers" Victoria and David Beckham when it comes to naming the latest addition to their brood: a baby boy they have called Cruz Hewitt. The Beckhams' youngest boy is also named Cruz.
A brief statement posted on their website yesterday heralded the happy news. "Lleyton and Bec welcomed Mia's new baby brother, Cruz, on December 11. All are doing well and are very excited about the new addition to the family!"

However calls to Hewitt's management went unanswered yesterday. Predictably Cruz is already the subject of a mega-bucks magazine deal the family has struck with OK!The Hewitts have sold the many chapters of their private lives in a number of lucrative magazine deals, including the conception/birth of Mia. Yet in more recent times they have publicly aired their disdain for the stories they don't appear to earn money from. Bec recently took aim at Woman's Day, saying "they have overstepped the mark again!" claiming it, and New Idea, "fabricate a negative story, because they believe that is what sells".