Roger Federer suffered a shock defeat by Lleyton Hewitt in the final of the Halle grasscourt event on Sunday, losing 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 to the Australian.
Federer had not lost a match at Halle since 2002, winning the title five times, and had beaten Hewitt 15 times in a row over the past six years.
Hewitt ended the two hour 20 minute contest when his forehand hit the net tape and dropped dead on Federer’s side.
PHOTO: EPA
“He played fantastic and deserved to win,” Federer told the tournament’s Web site.
The Swiss said he had been satisfied with his tournament but without a title since the Australian Open at the start of the year he is looking a little vulnerable as Wimbledon approaches.
“I’m happy with the way I’m playing,” he said. “It’s unfortunate not coming through today, but I think my level of play is fine. This loss here doesn’t worry me in any way.”
Hewitt rolled back the years to complete his collection of the world’s top grasscourt titles. He has won Wimbledon, Queen’s Club and now Halle.
“Roger’s a hell of an opponent, his grass-court record speaks for itself,” Hewitt told reporters. “Any time you play Roger on a grass court you know you’re in for a hell of a battle and I was lucky to get out of today’s match.”
“It’s fantastic for me. I’m getting towards the end of my career and had couple of surgeries, to know I can still compete at this level. I’m thrilled to be here and to have won another title,” he said.
Going into Sunday’s final, Federer had won 76 of his last 77 matches on grass dating back to 2002. His only blemish was a five-set loss to Rafael Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon final.
However, Hewitt is not one to surrender easily and after allowing Federer to bag the first set, he chased down everything the top seed could throw at him to win his first title in more than a year.
■AEGON CHAMPIONSHIPS
AFP, LONDON
Sam Querrey hopes his Queen’s Club success will be the inspiration for a US dream double at Wimbledon and the World Cup.
Querrey capped his surprise run to the final at Queen’s with a 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 victory over compatriot Mardy Fish at the pre-Wimbledon warm-up event on Sunday.
The 22-year-old, ranked 23rd in the world, follows Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Andy Roddick as the latest US winner at Queen’s.
With the Wimbledon men’s final scheduled for Independence Day on July 4 and the World Cup final a week later, Querrey would love his success to be the prelude for more US glory in the coming weeks.
Querrey has never been beyond the second round at Wimbledon in three attempts, but he believes he is in good enough form to make a strong challenge this year.
If he doesn’t make it then three-time Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick might, while Fish, who shocked world No. 4 Andy Murray en route to the final, will also be a danger to the top players.
Rather less likely is a US victory at the World Cup, but Querrey, who prepared for the final by watching the US earn a 1-1 draw against England, believes his Queen’s win proves miracles do happen.
“I’m going to do the best I can at Wimbledon. I know Mardy [Fish] is the same and so is Andy [Roddick]. Hopefully we can all make a run,” Querrey said. “Maybe that’s a good omen that the final is on the fourth of July. Hopefully our football team can make a run at the World Cup as well.”
“I’d love to win Wimbledon. I’m kind of going with baby steps here and I will try and make the third round this year, because the second round is the best I’ve ever done there,” he said.
“It’s possible, but I think I’ve still got some work to do and there’s still some great competitors out there you have to beat to win a Wimbledon title. I’m playing great on the grass and now I’ve got a week to practice and regroup. Then I’m looking forward to Wimbledon next Monday,” Querrey said.
■AEGON CLASSIC
AFP, BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND
Top seed Li Na of China won the WTA Birmingham title at Edgbaston and returned to the world’s top 10 after beating second-seeded Russian Maria Sharapova 7-5, 6-1 on Sunday.
It was a repeat of last year’s semi-final, where Li also beat Sharapova before losing to Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova in the final.
In a close first set Li found herself 1-3 down but rallied before taking the second set in just 24 minutes for what was the 24-year-old’s third career title.
‘DEVASTATED’: Argentina’s win was a reversal of their 28-24 defeat last week, with Australian forward Fraser McReight adding that ‘we did the same thing last week’ Argentina flyhalf Santiago Carreras punished an undisciplined Australia with 23 points off the tee as the Pumas held on grimly for a 28-26 win in Sydney yesterday to breathe new life into their Rugby Championship campaign. A try-fest beckoned in afternoon sunshine at Sydney Football Stadium, but Argentina needed only one through captain Julian Montoya, with Carreras doing the damage with seven penalties and a conversion in front of a sell-out crowd. A week after letting a 14-point lead slip in a 28-24 defeat to Australia in Townsville, Argentina saw most of a 21-point advantage erased in the final quarter as the
Captain Vijay Kumar led the way yesterday as the Hsinchu Titans claimed the Taiwan Premier League title at the Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山), beating PCCT by 27 runs. The weather was a topic again, but not the rain that played a role in previous matches in the often-delayed tournament. Kumar, who made 80 not out from 63 deliveries, and teammate Vishwajit Kumar (58 from 43) rescued the Titans from a precarious state at the end of the power play in the T20 match. The visitors were put in to bat and struggled to 26-3 as PCCT
San Francisco Giants pitcher Teng Kai-wei impressed against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday despite an 8-1 loss in the opener of the team’s nine-game road trip. Teng, the only Taiwanese pitcher active in MLB, struck out five while allowing two hits and one walk over four innings at Chase Field to finish with a no decision, as the teams were tied 1-1 when he finished his outing. He surrendered the lone run of his outing in the bottom of the first, which began with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and two strikeouts. Diamondbacks leadoff hitter Geraldo Perdomo advanced to third on
New Zealand yesterday basked in “amazing” athletics glory after winning two gold medals in as many days at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Geordie Beamish on Monday claimed New Zealand’s first track gold in history with a shock victory in the 3,000m steeplechase, while high jumper Hamish Kerr followed with gold on Tuesday to make it an unprecedented double success for a country much better known for rugby than its prowess in track and field. Before this week, the country had won only six golds in total at the championships. Yesterday morning New Zealand were in the giddy position of fourth on
RSS