Top-ranked Lleyton Hewitt had to overcome a stiff challenge at the start of his clay court season on Tuesday before reaching the second round of the Hamburg Masters with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Markus Hantschk, a big-hitting German wild card.
"He threw the kitchen sink and everything he had at me," Hewitt said. "It's good to come away with a win from such a tight match."
The Australian used his full range of powerful ground strokes to breeze through the first set against the German, who was playing only his second ATP tournament of the year.
But Hewitt fell behind 3-1 at the start of the second and had to save two break points to avoid falling two breaks behind.
The German, who is ranked 210th, squandered two more break points in the seventh game, then saved one himself in the next before serving out the set. Hantschk played with amazing confidence, going for corners just as much as the Australian.
Hewitt, last year's Wimbledon champion, was punching the air after fighting off another break point in the third game of the decisive set but Hantschk showed no sign of slowing down in the compelling match.
The Australian barely held serve in the seventh game, saving another break point when a net cord allowed him to smash an open volley.
Hewitt blasted a return winner and let out a primal scream to set up two match points on Hantschk's serve at 5-4. But the German wasn't finished fighting and Hewitt wasted both, then netted a forehand to squander the third.
On the fourth, Hantschk hit a forehand wide and Hewitt had his victory after battling for two hours and 23 minutes.
"I was nervous at the start but I played really well in the second and third. Had I served a little bit better, I think I would have had a good a chance of winning," said Hantschk, who converted only one of nine break points.
Hantschk, 25, took Hewitt to five sets at the French Open in 2000, the year he rose to No. 71 in the world before a wrist injury slowed his career.
Hewitt regained the No. 1 ranking at the start of the week, following Andre Agassi's first-round loss at the Italian Open last week. Agassi, who held the top spot for just a week, is skipping the US$2.4 million Hamburg event, a major warm-up for the French Open that starts May 26.
Second-seeded Carlos Moya of Spain also needed three sets to advance to the second round, overcoming qualifier Scott Draper of Australia 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS