Hewitt wins Kooyong Classic
Lleyton Hewitt put the final polish on his Australian Open
preparation Saturday with victory in the Kooyong Classic in his first
appearance at the event.
The two-time Grand Slam champion downed injured Frenchman Gael
Monfils 7-5, 6-3 in the final of the eight-man exhibition event. Hewitt,
29, who is heading into his record 15th straight Australian Open on
Monday, had never ventured onto the famous courts of the Kooyong club,
the former home of the Open.
But Hewitt altered his longtime Open preparation schedule by playing
at the Hopman Cup in Perth followed by Kooyong this month and the payoff
came in the form of a sweet ending for the world number 54.
Monfils was troubled in the second set by a muscle problem in his
lower back which he hopes will not impact on his Australian Open.
“I’m tired, I’d say,” said the Frenchman. “I played two big matches
here. Today it was tough against Lleyton. I felt the problem when I was
up a break, then I felt it a bit more later.
“I hope it’s not major. I still have to see my physio. I would say
that I played with less conviction in the second set, some of the time I
was trying to test my back.”
He said he hoped a day off on Sunday would help him reach full
fitness for the start of the Open, where he is 12th seed and will begin
his campaign against Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker.
Hewitt, accompanied on the sidelines post-match by two of his three
children, Mia and Cruz, was pleased to have won at one of the most
famous clubs in Australian tennis.
“They’ve been trying to get me here for a long time,” Hewitt said.
“Thankfully, I got to play this year, I remember watching Pat Cash
and Mikael Pernfors play here (1986 Australia-Sweden Davis Cup final).
“It means a lot for me to play on this court and have wins against a
couple of quality players. “It always helps when the body feels good.
I’m enjoying getting out of bed with no aches and pains. It’s a lot
better than 12 months ago (when he had hip surgery after an Australian
Open loss).
“There are a lot of tough matches next week, but I feel ready.”
Hewitt goes into his first-round challenge at Melbourne Park against
Argentine David Nalbandian buoyed by the victory over Monfils.
Nalbandian, by contrast, lost the ATP final in Auckland on Saturday.
MELBOURNE, AFP |