Amandine 8-29-2007 11:37
Hewitt Moves on Easily to Second Round
Hewitt Moves on Easily to Second Round
By Lisa Zimmerman
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
2001 US Open Champion Lleyton Hewitt had little trouble defeating Amer Delic in the opening round of the 2007 tournament. In just slightly over an hour and half, the Australian had moved on to the second round with a score of 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
[img]http://www.usopen.org/images/pics/thumbs/t_0829_005_hewitt.jpg[/img]
Hewitt Winner
[img]http://www.usopen.org/images/pics/thumbs/t_0829_004_delic.jpg[/img]
Delic Overhead
Through his consistent play, Hewitt , No. 16, outmaneuvered his American opponent, the 25-year-old Delic, who was making his first Open appearance since 2004 after failing to qualify in 2005 and 2006. The 2003 NCAA singles champion was a wild card entrant in both 2003 and 2004.
In the first set, Hewitt quickly went up one break and then another. Delic showed some sparks at the net where he was able to use his 6’ 5” height to his advantage in reaching for and placing shots out reach.
For one brief moment in the second set, after a particularly arduous point, Hewitt seemed to experience some discomfort in his left ankle, but continued on with no further sign of it hampering his game. Other than the drama of a possible injury-inspired upset of the former No. 1, the match plodded along. On occasion, Hewitt displayed the vocal intensity he is know for, in contrast to Delic who remained mostly stoic throughout.
Delic seemed to find his stride a bit as the match progressed and he did manage to keep Hewitt on the move. Up 4-3, in the second set, one brief but exciting rally finally elicited a strong show of emotion from Delic as he threw his arms up in victory after winning a tough point. The crowd, too, came to life, hoping to inspire Delic further.
But, the handwriting was already on the wall. Up a break in the third set, Hewitt served out the match and moved into the second round against the winner of the match between Andreas Seppi and Agustin Calleri.