Hewitt overwhelms Larkham to reach third round

www.abc.net.au
Thursday January 16, 2003

World number one Lleyton Hewitt dished out a merciless straight sets thrashing to his Australian compatriot Todd Larkham in a second round match at the Australian Open.

Hewitt savaged the 235-ranked Larkham 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 in a blistering 74 minutes on Rod Laver Arena centre court.

The Australian dynamo set up a third round meeting with the Czech Republic's Radek Stepanek.

Hewitt ripped through qualifier Larkham's serve, breaking it eight times in a match that never was a contest.

Hewitt is bidding to become the first home-grown winner of the Australian Open in 27 years.

The top seed's cakewalk was in stark contrast to his desperate fight to beat Swedish qualifier Magnus Larsson over three hours and five sets in Tuesday's first round.

It was a sad finish for the out-gunned Larkham, who served a double-fault on match point to hand the match to Hewitt.

He was troubled by cramps throughout the match and was given the runaround by Hewitt and needed to regain his breath several times after being pushed around the court by the world No.1

"I hit the ball really well tonight and I was confident right from the start," Hewitt said moments after the win.

"I've got to give Todd a lot of credit - he won three matches in qualifying to get in the main draw and it was a huge step up for him tonight.

"I had to handle it very well mentally which I did."

Hewitt said was feeling fit and ready to go after his tough opening match with Larsson.

Hewitt finished world number one last year for the second year running along with the Wimbledon crown, beat 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras to win the 2001 US Open and carried off back-to-back Tennis Masters Cups.

He has amassed almost $US11 million in career prizemoney and led his country to famous Davis Cup victories, but his own national Australian Open has eluded him.

The last Australian to win his national open was Mark Edmondson who beat John Newcombe in 1976 at the old Kooyong venue.

Larkham gears up for Hewitt rematch

It is not quite accurate to say that Todd Larkham does not have a sponsor; not considering the second-hand shirts and cast-off racquets kindly donated by his mate Wayne Arthurs. "Wayne's a sponsor," Larkham joked, well, sort of. "(But) I've got to buy my shoes. He's about five sizes bigger than me."

Larkham tonight plays Lleyton Hewitt, the multi-millionaire world No. 1 brought to you by Nike, Yonex, Sorbent and so on. The last time they met, at a Dendy Park satellite tournament in 1996, the 22-year-old Larkham was the top seed, while Hewitt was the scrawny kid from Adelaide, his record-breaking debut as a 15-year-old at the Australian Open still some months away.

Hewitt was not surprised to hear that he was, as he put it baldly, "chopped", by the more experienced pro from Canberra.

"He was," said Hewitt, "one of the best satellite players around when I was playing." The problem for Larkham, whose career has been beset by injuries, is that he is still one of the best satellite players around. Note that his career highlight before this one was qualifying and winning a round at Wimbledon in 1997.

He also played Pete Sampras in the opening night match on Arthur Ashe Stadium two months later. So, Todd, you do have some experience of playing big matches? "I've played one big match before, yeah," he said, remembering the nerves that gripped him in a first-set wipeout, and acknowledging the need to guard against a repeat.

This occasion will be even bigger, although his first against Hewitt lingers long and fondly in Larkham's mind. He won the first nine games, and the match, 6-0, 6-4. "I remember walking off the court," he said. "I was in the AIS at the time, and I said to the coach, Brad Guan, 'This guy's unbelievable. He's going to be really good. He's an unbelievable player for 15 years old.' So it's turned out to be true."

Larkham also remembers, surprise, surprise, that baby Lleyton "was getting pretty angry with himself, actually. Even back then he was super-competitive, and he was very pissed off that he was getting beaten because, I think, coming from juniors he's always been so much better than anyone his age."

Now he is better than most players, of any age, and will have noted with ruthless interest that Larkham needed three bags of intravenous fluid after his first round defeat of Cecil Mamiit, has had a chest cough for a week, cramped with the stress and exertion of it all, and suffered badly with asthma afterwards.

"But physically I'm fine. The cramps have gone and the body feels good," insisted Larkham, who spent his rest day stretching and on the massage table. He had watched the first couple of sets of Hewitt's struggle against Magnus Larsson from the medical room, and ended the match in front of the TV at his girlfriend's Melbourne home.

Still, he gives himself a chance. He has to. "Ah, look I think I can win the match - seriously," said Larkham. "Obviously Lleyton's a great player, and I'm going to have to play my absolute best if I'm going to win, but I've going into the match like any other match.

"I really believe that if I can stay fit the whole match, I think that's the key. If I can go with him for three or four sets, I think I've got a decent . . . (corrects himself) slim chance, probably, of winning the match."

He is hoping and expecting that his major sponsor, Arthurs, is in his corner, and not that of Hewitt, his Davis Cup teammate. Both are coached by Larkham's older brother Brent, whose time on the tour with Arthurs has given him an appreciation of Hewitt's game. "I get to watch Lleyton a lot, so I'm pretty confident I know what needs to be done," said Larkham senior. "But whether or not Todd can do it; whether or not Lleyton will let him do it, is another thing."

Larkham targets Hewitt

IF their last meeting is anything to go by, Todd Larkham should have the wood on Lleyton Hewitt for tonight's all-Australian second-round clash under lights at the Rod Laver Arena.

The only time the pair have played, Larkham won in straight sets and Hewitt left the court angry and frustrated.

"I remember it very clearly," Larkham said. "I beat him fairly comfortably."

The only problem is that match was seven years ago when Hewitt was an aggressive, intensely competitive 15-year-old playing in his first professional tournament.

"He was getting pretty angry with himself," Larkham said. "Even back then he was super competitive and he was really pissed off that he was getting beaten. I remember walking off the court. I was in the AIS at the time and I said to the coach: 'This guy is unbelievable'. It turned out to be true."

Since their encounter that day at Brighton's Dendy Park - a Melbourne suburban reserve known more to dog-walkers than aspiring tennis stars - it is hard to imagine two sporting careers taking more divergent paths.

While Hewitt has gone on to conquer the US Open, Wimbledon and the tennis world, Larkham's star has all but disappeared in a downward spiral of injury, frustration and mediocre results.

In 1998, Larkham wrecked his shoulder and was sidelined for 20 months. Every time he has come back since, his body has found another way to break down.

After the first round of last year's Australian Open which Larkham reached courtesy of a wild card, a bad back wiped out the next four months of the tour.

Even in his first-round win against American Cecil Mamiit on Tuesday, it was as if Larkham's body was conspiring against its master. Having to contend with a chest cold and troublesome asthma before the match, Larkham battled severe cramping in the second, third and fourth sets.

He watched the first two sets of Hewitt's match from the Australian Open medical room with a saline drip attached to his arm.

For every Hewitt triumph, there have been times when Larkham has wondered whether he should leave the game altogether.

"There are many times there when you think this isn't happening and it is time to get a real job and earn some money but you just battle on, I guess."

For all their differing fortunes, Larkham gives himself a "a slim chance", as he put it, but a chance nonetheless, of beating Hewitt again.

"I think I can win the match. Seriously. Obviously Lleyton is a great player and I'll have to be at my absolute best if I'm going to win, but I'm going into the match like any other."