By TONY HARPER, Associated Press Writer

MELBOURNE, Australia - When Lleyton Hewitt finally put away brave Swedish veteran Magnus Larsson he turned to his family and girlfriend Kim Clijsters and rapped the skin above his heart with a clenched fist.

Larsson, aged 32 and a qualifier ranked 152 places behind the Hewitt, gave world No. 1 an intense workout Tuesday before succumbing in a pulsating five-setter, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-2.

Hewitt's ticker, his never surrender attitude, had gotten him through again, and he knew it. Larsson did too, suggesting Hewitt's one true great attribute is his fighting spirit.

Hewitt, who has often been accused of poor on-court demeanor in the past, appears to be channeling his rage in the right direction now too.

Apart from disputing a few line calls, he was respectful on court, twice stopping to applaud Larsson's winners in the final set, and he told the crowd "Magnus was one of my idols when I was growing up".

Perhaps the ultimate compliment was the way Hewitt lifted his intensity in the deciding set to kill off the challenge of a man 11 years his senior and whose best ranking of 10 was achieved eight years ago.

"There's always ways to try and get out of tough situations and I've been in enough now that I've got confidence," Hewitt said. "I don't hit the panic button as much as I probably would have a few years ago and that just comes with experience and being out there playing the big matches. It's something I think I've handled well, the five-setters I've played."

Hewitt has achieved much in the past two seasons — winning Wimbledon  and the U.S. Open and joining an elite club of Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras to spend every week of a season at No.1. But there is no doubt he was embarking on a special assignment Tuesday.

Last year he arrived in Melbourne as the new No. 1, having taken over in November 2001. But he exited in the first round, beaten by the aftereffects of chickenpox.

Such misfortune, in the tournament he visited often as a kid, hurt him deeply.

"It's a lot of relief after last year ... losing in the first round, obviously feeling shocked," Hewitt said Tuesday. "I felt there's a sour taste left in my mouth after last year and it was good to come out and get rid of it. I'm just going to get better and better from now on."

Larsson has seen 14 men rise to No. 1 during his 14 years on tour and he is well placed to rate Hewitt, whom he compared to former Swede Mats Wilander.

Wilander, argued Larsson, was another to reach the top without matching the power of his contemporaries, a player who had to "win every match, by himself, without any big shots".

"Mats? I don't know if I'm that good," said Hewitt. "I love Mats, he's maybe my favorite player. I just love the way he played, so cool on the court, got fired up when he wanted to, brought the crowd into it."

They're all traits Hewitt prides himself on.

Larsson spoke of feeling that he had to make all the play, that if he had just put the ball back over the net the match would have gone all night.

"Somebody had to do something," he sighed.

"You always get a chance to hit the ball against Lleyton but he is very fast. He is a great fighter and deserves to be No.1 in the world. It is a great effort to be No. 1 without a big weapon. Pete Sampras could serve and play on one leg to the quarters or semifinals, it was much easier for him."

Larsson believes Hewitt's desire is the key to his future at the summit.

"But everyone is so good in today's game," Larsson warned. "The guys with the big weapons are going to be very difficult."Larsson is mistaken. Hewitt's weapon is worth more than a big serve or a ferocious ground stroke — it's buried in his chest.

Hero Hewitt or Satan Lleyton?

By Pete Sanderson
BBC Sport Online in Melbourne, www.bbc.co.uk
Wednesday, 15 January, 2003, 10:53 GMT


The Flinders Ranges are not the only tourist attraction dividing the state of Victoria this January.

The other is Lleyton Hewitt - the kamikaze kid who is expected to lure over 300,000 spectators to Melbourne Park over the two weeks of the Australian Open.

When it comes to Hewitt's relationship with the Aussies, there appears to be no middle ground.

They either love him or loathe him.

A swift glance around the Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday provided resounding proof that there are still thousands who embrace his partisan spirit and bullish style of play.

But, like John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors before him, when his unquenchable thirst for the game spirals out of control, Hewitt starts to lose friends.

His latest nickname with Aussie adversaries is Satan Hewitt.

But from where did this ill will come?

Christine Egan, an ardent tennis fan from Sydney, says her dislike of Hewitt dates back to Adelaide in 1999.

"I've always thought of him as talented player," she conceded.

"But he has no respect for anyone else - whether it is his fans, his opponents or even the umpires.

"He blew it with me when he turned on the Australian fans a couple of years ago in a tournament in South Australia.

"They gave him a bit of stick when he let his emotions get the better of him and he turned around and bellowed something to the tune of 'you Aussies know nothing about tennis'.

"After that I stopped supporting him in the Davis Cup."

Robert Niall, a bar manager from Melbourne, echoed Christine's sentiments, saying Hewitt could learn a lot from his compatriot Pat Rafter.

"Hewitt may be a fine player but he needs to learn to be a gentleman too.

"It is one thing being passionate but it is another to be arrogant and downright rude."

Hewitt's reputation bottomed out at the 2001 US Open.

At Flushing Meadows, the youngster was accused of making a racist remark in a moment of rage during his match against James Blake.

He had already been fined $1,000 at that year's French Open for calling an umpire a "spastic".

After those episodes, even the Aussie press turned on Hewitt and his overprotective family, claiming he had an ego the size of Ayers Rock and the tolerance levels of Ned Kelly.

The kid with the baggy shorts and attitude problem responded.

He dropped the sulky look, topped the world rankings and won two Grand Slams. Press and fans began to warm to him again.

A short chat with Kylie Lyon, an Adelaide girl and ardent Hewitt fan, left me convinced her hero is still popular with a section of the Australian crowd.

"I love him," she said.

"He's talented, gorgeous and, most importantly, he's a winner.

"Any player who can get the crowd going like he does deserves to be world number one."

Perhaps Hewitt's best means of regaining the support of the rest of his public would be to win a Grand Slam on home soil.

This year's final takes place on Australia Day - a day on which Aussies are told to reflect on the last year and re-assess their values accordingly.

Lleyton - the ball's in your court.