Problem child Hewitt grows up to be a hero
By Kathy Marks in Sydney
18 November 2001
The thaw is not complete, but the ice is definitely melting. As Lleyton Hewitt reflects on a momentous week that saw him crowned world No 1 at the Tennis Masters Cup in Sydney, there are signs that the public is finally learning to love the problem child of Australian sport.

Hewitt's precocious talent has never been in question, but his fiery, fist-pumping style alienated many spectators. If Pat Rafter – that most decent and self-effacing of blokes – was the archetypal Australian hero, the brash youngster from Adelaide was the antithesis. Now, as Rafter prepares to take an indefinite break, the latter is starting to win over his critics.

There were few histrionics this week as Hewitt methodically worked his way through the end-of-season tournament to reach today's final against France's Sebastien Grosjean. He was self-contained on court, mature and thoughtful in interviews. He politely declined to discuss his aspirations regarding the top ranking until it was safely within his grasp.

His victory in a round-robin match against Rafter on Friday, at the age of 20, made him the youngest end-of-year No 1 player. Yesterday's newspapers hailed "King Lleyton" and "the conquering hero". The crowds at Sydney's SuperDome have warmed to him. "Love you, Lleyton," called one female fan as he beat Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4 6-3 in the semi-finals.

If Hewitt has come of age, the turning point was the US Open. At Flushing Meadow, he not only won his first Grand Slam title but also became embroiled in his most damaging row yet, appearing to suggest a black linesman was favouring his African-American opponent, James Blake.

The ensuing outcry seems to have had a sobering effect on Hewitt, although he has lost none of the fire in his belly. Yesterday he outpaced the athletic Ferrero despite a strained hamstring that almost forced him to pull out of the match. He had injured himself against Andre Agassi on Wednesday, he said; no one watching had an inkling of a problem until he appeared with his leg strapped.

Hewitt has displayed the same guts and mental toughness since he burst on to the circuit at the age of 15 and went on to defeat Agassi on his way to winning his first title in Adelaide in 1998. Rafter called him, affectionately, "a stubborn little mongrel" on Friday.

His rise has been swift – he was 60th in the world at the beginning of last year – and rarely free of controversy. At this year's Australian Open, he was fined for swearing. At the French Open, he was forced to apologise after calling French umpires "spastics".

The low point in his frosty relationship with the Australian public came two years ago, when he accused home crowds of being "stupid" after he was barracked for questioning line calls in Adelaide.

Columnists called him the new superbrat of tennis, but those who know him well say that Hewitt is misunderstood. "He is a really nice young man, and he has exceptionally good manners," says his Davis Cup team-mate Todd Woodbridge. Jason Stoltenberg, another veteran Australian player, says: "Off the court he's quiet, he's a great little bloke and all the guys like him."

Hewitt may be starting to mellow, but he will never be a Rafter or an Ian Thorpe; it is not in his nature. Shane Warne is more his cup of tea. But friends say that his brittleness is deceptive. Like a naughty child who pushes away his parents, he wants to be loved.

His prodigious achievements are not in doubt. This year he has accumulated 78 wins and five titles, beating Pete Sampras on grass, Gustavo Kuerten on clay and Agassi on hardcourt.

Questions are already being asked about how long he can remain at No 1. He has been plagued by a breathing ailment, and his style of play means that burn-out is an obvious risk. For the moment, he is sustained by "an inner self-belief that I'm able to match it with any guy on any surface". For Hewitt, self-confidence has never been a problem.


The ball is now in Hewitt's court

By JAKE NIALL
Sunday 18 November 2001


Lleyton Hewitt's moment has come. The ATP computer has coronated him and even the many Australians who find Hewitt irritating are willing to embrace this definitive Aussie battler. The media, which loves a winner as much as anyone, is ready to wipe the slate clean.

Pat Rafter's sun is setting. Mark Philippoussis' has never really risen. As far as tennis goes, Hewitt is it. Does he want to be an Aussie hero?

To date, Hewitt has been admired, rather than loved. He's suffered by unflattering comparison with the impossibly nice and photogenic Rafter. And he has done himself few favors off the court.

In a sense, he's been viewed like John Howard - there's grudging respect for the little man's grit and willingness to scrap it out, and he's gone further than most of us imagined, but the people still withhold their love.

Yet, as a 20-year-old and the youngest No.1 in history, Hewitt is still a work in progress. He can begin a new history now. What lies ahead will define him to his nation and sport more than the past.

The obvious role model is Jimmy Connors, whose pugnacious counter-punching game resembles that of Hewitt. Connors was initially regarded as a brash, obnoxious young scoundrel, yet by the twilight of his career, he was feted as a man of the people and was virtually mayor of Flushing Meadow.

Over the course of his career, Connors matured and toned down the antics. Because he grunted so audibly and tried so damn hard, he eventually won the public over. Admittedly, his rehabilitation was helped by the arrival of John McEnroe, who took both tennis and bad behavior to new levels and made Jimmy look restrained.

Hewitt's ascent to the top presents him with serious challenges. His responsibilities will rise in proportion to his ranking. From this moment forth, when he talks at news conferences, it won't simply be the Australian media that listens. Like the heavywieght champ, the world No.1 is a standard-bearer for his sport.

Hence, Hewitt cannot afford to call people "spastic" or to have mini-tantrums and question calls in an aggressive manner. With so many people watching and listening, he will be marked very hard if he slips up.

To be fair, Hewitt has cleaned up his act considerably on the court. He has been a model of composure ever since that incident at the US Open, when he was accused of a racial slur against a black line judge and opponent James Blake (he was subsequently cleared of any misconduct).

Hewitt has lost only twice since then. The acid test for New Lleyton, of course, will come when he is not travelling so well. Keeping the ugliness in check is easier when you're winning.

The past few months have also debunked the convenient theory that Hewitt's brat persona is as essential to his success as court speed. Until quite recently, apologists in the tennis establishment defended Hewitt's behavior on the grounds that it helped him perform. Yet his coach, Darren Cahill, has suggested that, far from firing himself up, the battle cries merely wasted valuable energy - advice Hewitt has wisely heeded.

But, assuming the on-court transformation sticks, Hewitt's off-court demeanor still needs some work. His relationship with much of the Australian media is more acrimonious than it should be.

Hewitt thinks he's been harshly treated and my guess is that, like most sporstmen who run foul of the fourth estate, he probably believes himself to be merely a victim of the famed tall-poppy syndrome. He has expressed a view that the public thinks he's fine and that the media are the primary, if not the sole, source of negativity.

The problem with such a view is that the media, for good or ill, do create public perceptions. If Hewitt shuns the media and affords them little respect, it will - no matter what he thinks - hurt his standing with the masses.

The bridge is easily mended, however. Hewitt has only to meet his supposed tormentors halfway, give them the time of day and we will soon by hearing about a new "mature and courteous" Lleyton Hewitt.

Hewitt the Master Conquers Sydney

By Richard Evans

He's the youngest world No 1; the newest Master and an absolute marvel. One
day, Lleyton Hewitt will settle back with a nice cold Australian beer and
realize exactly what he has achieved this past week.

Shrugging of a thigh strain; soaking up the atmosphere as the crowd stood,
spontaneously, to sing "Advance Australia Fair" as he warned up, this
20-year-old from South Australia played the coolest and most competent match
of his life in the final of the Tennis Masters Cup to beat Sebastien Grosjean
6-3, 6-3, 6-4 and so finish where he had begun -- with a victory over the
little Frenchman who had emerged as his closest challenger.

In fact Grosjean went into the match as a narrow favorite, given the way he
had obliterated Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the semifinal and considering the
hamstring injury that had nearly forced Hewitt to pull out of his semifinal
against Juan Carlos Ferrero the day before.

But, from the first ball, Hewitt took control and dominated the rest of the
match; hitting too deep to allow the tactically shrewd Frenchman to alter the
rhythm of the contest. In fact Grosjean became so frustrated and fretful at
his inability to put any pressure on Hewitt that he made 47 unforced errors.

"I didn't hit the ball like yesterday," said Grosjean afterwards. "I had to
play more aggressive but when I try to become aggressive, I made so many
mistakes. He didn't make any mistakes. It was difficult."

A Gallic understatement. Beating Hewitt at the Sydney SuperDome was all but
an impossibility. The only person to take a set off him had been Grosjean
himself -- the very first set Hewitt played on the Monday evening.

After that this wiry, fearsomely competitive young man had cut a swathe
through a field that contained the best eight players in the world. In the
Tennis Masters Cup there is no chance of getting lucky and having a seed
removed from your path so that you find yourself facing a lower-ranked
opponent. In this tournament there are no lower ranked opponents. That is why
winning the title without losing a match in the round robin phase of the
event is a feat that players find so difficult. In fact it had been eight
years since anyone had achieved it -- Michael Stich at Frankfurt in 1993.
This is a measure of Hewitt's triumph.


Another is the way he rode the pressure of expectation from a home audience
and the manner in which he re-focused so quickly after the distracting thrill
of becoming the world's youngest ever No 1 on the Friday evening when he beat
Patrick Rafter. That is what makes his achievements here so impressive -- the
rapidly growing maturity that has turned a young contender into a fully
fledged champion.

That maturity was in evidence when he spoke about how he would handle his
next big assignment -- the Davis Cup Final. "I'll take a couple of days off
and then start practising on grass," he said. "The important thing is I can't
let it go to my head too much. I've got to put my head down and try and
finish off the year with a Davis Cup win."

Nor was he getting carried away with the US$700,000 in prize money his
victory brought him or stories in the Australian papers suggesting that he
would soon be worth almost US $100 million if he went on winning and
attracting endorsements. "I don't know what I'll do with the money," he
smiled. "Haven't got a house; haven't got a car. I'm pretty basic, I suppose.
Don't do a lot, actually, apart from support the Adelaide Crows (Aussie Rules
football team) and play a bit of golf."

As he grows older, Lleyton Hewitt will find some other interests. But, right
now, being No 1 in the world at the age of 20 is quite enough to occupy
anyone's day.
 
END--http://www.masters-cup.com/


Hewitt downs Grosjean to confirm top ranking
By Julian Linden
 
SYDNEY, Nov 18 (Reuters) - World number one Lleyton Hewitt beat Sebastien
Grosjean 6-3 6-3 6-4 on Sunday to win the $3.7 million Masters Cup,
confirming his position as the hottest player in men's tennis.

Just two days after he became the youngest man in history to reach the top
ranking, Hewitt put the icing on the cake by winning a cool $1.52 million for
going through the season-ending tournament undefeated.

"I feel confident at the moment. It's been a dream three months for me and
this is a great way to finish off the year for me individually," Hewitt said.

"Since winning the U.S. Open it's just been getting better and better."

The 20-year-old Australian showed no ill-effects from the groin strain that
troubled him in Saturday's semifinal win over Juan Carlos Ferrero as he
demolished Grosjean in less than two hours.

The Frenchman had only just sneaked into the elite eight-man field by winning
the recent Paris masters series and despite losing his first round-robin
match to Hewitt, did not drop another set to reach the final.

But the Frenchman was unable to make any inroads against Hewitt, whose
superior court-speed and athleticism, frustrated Grosjean.

The seventh-seed dropped serve five times and made a whopping 47 unforced
errors as Hewitt controlled the game from his normal position on the
baseline.

With Belgian girlfriend Kim Clijsters watching from the stands inside the
Sydney SuperDome after flying in from Europe overnight, Hewitt broke Grosjean
three times to take the opening set in just 33 minutes.

TOOK CONTROL
He then took control of the second set when the Frenchman drilled an overhead
smash into the net then hit a backhand long to lose another service game.

Grosjean saved two break points in the seventh game of the third set but
another wild forehand allowed Hewitt to grab the decisive break in the final
set and serve out the match.

"I am disappointed because I didn't hit the ball as well as I did in my other
matches," Grosjean said.

"I made too many mistakes and Lleyton just played much better than me."

Hewitt's victory gave him his sixth title this year and the 12th of his
career. He also received a bonus prize of $1.75 million for finishing the
season as number one, lifting his yearly earnings to almost $5.5 million.

Hewitt came into the event as the favourite after winning the U.S. Open in
September but still ranked number two in the world behind Gustavo Kuerten.

Hewitt trailed the Brazilian by 48 points at the start of the week but
overtook him on Friday to become the youngest number one in history when he
won all three of his round-robin matches and Kuerten lost all of his.

By making the final, Grosjean jumped over Patrick Rafter to finish the season
sixth overall.

He and Hewitt are likely to face each other in a fortnight's time when
Australia hosts France in the Davis Cup final in Melbourne.

"Obviously it would really top it off if we won the Davis Cup," Hewitt said.
"But France is going to be extremely tough."

01:00 11-18-01


Hewitt puts celebrations on ice until Davis Cup
By Julian Linden
 
SYDNEY, Nov 18 (Reuters) - There were no wild celebrations for Lleyton Hewitt
after he beat Sebastien Grosjean in Sunday's Masters Cup final to confirm his
position as the hottest player in men's tennis.

The new world number one demolished Grosjean 6-3 6-3 6-4 in less than two
hours to lift his year's earnings to almost $5.5 million but said the party
would have to wait until after the Davis Cup final with France in a
fortnight's time.

"The important thing is I can't let it go to my head too much," Hewitt said.

"I've got to put my head down and try and finish off the year with a Davis
Cup win. That would be a great way to finish the year for me."

The 20-year-old Hewitt answered any doubts about his place as the new king of
tennis by following up his breakthrough win in this year's U.S. Open with
victory in the season-ending Masters Cup, an elite event reserved for the
best eight players in the world.

The Australian began the tournament nervously, losing the opening set of his
first round-robin match against Grosjean but did not drop another set,
beating Andre Agassi, Patrick Rafter and Juan Carlos Ferrero to reach the
final against Grosjean.

Along the way, Hewitt overtook Gustavo Kuerten at the top of the rankings to
become the youngest number one in history, before capping his week by winning
the title in a lop-sided final that was mercifully over in less than two
hours.

"The way I've been playing over the last few months my confidence is sky
high," Hewitt said.

"I feel good in myself, the way that I'm playing and the way that I'm
handling everything at the moment, especially the players that I've beaten
this week and the way that I've done it.

"I was pretty nervous going out the first time but when I settled in and
started believing in myself and playing my game I felt comfortable out there
and played some of my best tennis."

BIG TIME
Hewitt has been earmarked for greatness since he qualified for the 1997
Australian Open at 15 years 11 months, the youngest player ever.

Twelve months later he became the youngest winner on the ATP Tour in a
decade, by winning his hometown title in Adelaide, and the lowest-ranked
winner (550) in ATP history.

He began to make his move up the rankings in 2000, capturing four titles and
reaching the U.S. Open semifinals but broke through to the big time when he
destroyed Pete Sampras in this year's U.S. Open final.

"Obviously the U.S. Open gave me a lot of confidence," he said. "I felt that
I wasn't too far away from breaking through in a big tournament whether it
was a masters series or a grand slam."

Hewitt is already one of the most marketable faces in tennis because of his
rebellious nature and youthful appeal but sports marketing agents are already
predicting that his latest success will lift him into a new stratosphere.

One of Australia's biggest sports managers, Max Markson, told the Sun Herald,
Hewitt was poised to become "the Tiger Woods of tennis," with potential
earnings of $200 million over the next five years.

02:55 11-18-01


Hewitt beats Grosjean to capture Tennis Masters Cup
SportsTicker
 
SYDNEY, Australia (Ticker) -- Australia's Lleyton Hewitt bookended a
superlative season with a triumph at the Tennis Masters Cup. 

Hewitt cruised past Sebastien Grosjean of France, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, on Sunday in
the final of the $3.65 million season-ending event.

The Australian's 2001 season began and ended with victories in Sydney.  In
between, he captured his first Grand Slam crown at the U.S. Open and became
the youngest world No. 1. 

In addition, his run to the crown here began and ended with victories over
Grosjean.  He defeated the diminutive Frenchman Monday in a tight match to
open round-robin play but had little difficulty in Sunday's final. 

"It feels great," Hewitt said.  "It's been a dream two months for me, ever
since I won the U.S. Open.  This really does top off a great year for me." 

A winner of 22 of his final 24 matches, Hewitt claimed his sixth tournament
of the year.  He began the season by winning the adidas International here
and added titles in England, the Netherlands and Japan.  This was his 12th
career tournament title. 

Hewitt became the first undefeated champion at this year-end event since
Germany's Michael Stich won the 1993 ATP World Championship in Frankfurt. 

Grosjean was playing in his second straight final.  He had to win the Tennis
Masters Series event in Paris two weeks ago just to qualify for his first
trip to the ATP's season-ending showcase. 

"I am disappointed because I didn't hit the ball as well as I did in my other
matches," Grosjean said.  "I made too many mistakes and Lleyton just played
much better than me." 

The 23-year-old was trying to capture his third career title and become just
the fifth player to win the year-end championship in his debut.  John McEnroe
was the last player to achieve the feat in 1978. 

Grosjean will stay in Australia to prepare for France's Davis Cup final on
grass in Melbourne, where he again will battle Hewitt. 

"Two weeks ago, I didn't expect to play in Sydney," Grosjean said.  "It was a
terrific week.  I lost to (Hewitt) two times this week, and it's going to be
difficult in Melbourne." 

Cheered on by a partisan sellout crowd, Hewitt broke Grosjean in the third
game of the opening set.  After the two traded breaks in the fifth and sixth
games, Grosjean dropped serve again, handing his foe the set in 33 minutes. 

The Australian continued to dominate in the second, gaining a 4-2 lead when
Grosjean hit a backhand long.  He served out the set in 38 minutes, taking
advantage of the Frenchman's 30th unforced error. 

Hewitt notched the only break of the third set in the ninth game and closed
out the match in just under two hours in his next service game.  After match
point, he fell onto his back and clinched his fists. 

Confetti showered down from the roof of the Sydney SuperDome when Hewitt
received his trophy and $1.52 million first-place check. 

st 11-18-01 06:13 et

Hewitt has the No. 1 ranking, now he wants the title
By JOHN PYE
.c The Associated Press
 
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Assured of a No. 1 ranking, Lleyton Hewitt closed in
on his sixth title of the season.

The 20-year-old Australian cruised to a 6-4, 6-3 semifinal victory over
21-year-old Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero in the Masters Cup on Saturday.

Hewitt advanced to Sunday's final against Sebastien Grosjean.

Hewitt moved into the final despite a leg injury, and less than 20 hours
after beating Patrick Rafter and moving past Gustavo Kuerten to become the
youngest No. 1 ranked player.

He show no signs of trouble beating Ferrero, although he said he only really
played to satisfy a near capacity crowd at the 17,500-seat SuperDome.

``I didn't know if I was going to be able to play,'' said Hewitt, who injured
his left hamstring in a round-robin match against Andre Agassi and aggravated
it against Rafter. ``I came out, mainly for the crowd.

``I didn't give myself much of a chance when I went out on court, but I just
tried to forget about it and see what happened.''

Hewitt said he would treat the injury overnight, and he hoped to be healthy
enough for the final.

He conceded the title wasn't his only priority: ``If I win or lose, it's no
big deal.''

Grosjean advanced with a 6-4, 6-2 win over No. 5 Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

The 23-year-old Frenchman, who beat Kafelnikov in the Paris Indoor final
earlier this month, opened with a loss against Hewitt but has improved with
every subsequent match.

``With Lleyton, you have to be at 100 percent all the time,'' Grosjean said.
``You can never slacken off - even the slightest bit - or he's straight at
you. That's what happened to me in Monday's match.''

Grosjean needed five set points to win the opening set against Kafelnikov. He
dominated the second, winning five straight games.

``It's unbelievable. I played so well,'' said Grosjean. ``For the last three
weeks I have been playing great tennis. I'm confident for tomorrow.

``I'm going to play the new No. 1, here in Sydney, so I have nothing to
lose.''

Grosjean, who reached the semifinals at the Australian and the French Open
this year, moved ahead of Patrick Rafter to No. 6 in the rankings - his first
top 10 year-end ranking.

Hewitt took the first set of his semifinal in 46 minutes.

After losing the opening four games of the second, Ferrero rallied to 4-3
before Hewitt held serve to go 5-3 and then broke serve again to win.

Kuerten, the defending titles, lost all three of his round-robin matches and
dropped nine of his last 10 matches this season. The Brazilian made a
dramatic charge to No. 1 last year, dropping his first match at the Masters
Cup in Portugal before clinching the title and the top spot with back-to-back
wins against Pete Sampras and Agassi.

Kuerten will finish at No. 2, while Andre Agassi will be No. 3.

Before Hewitt, Jimmy Connors had been the youngest player to achieve the
year-end No. 1 ranking. He achieved the feat at 22 and three months in 1974,
the year after computerized rankings were introduced.

AP-NY-11-17-01 0409EST


11/17/01 - Stylish Start for New No. 1

By Richard Evans

Lleyton Hewitt's first match as the youngest world No. 1 in history was not
without drama, pain or, indeed, triumph. Happily for another large crowd at
the Sydney SuperDome only a few insiders knew how close Hewitt was to
retiring his semi-final of the Tennis Masters Cup against Juan Carlos
Ferrero.

The 20-year-old had aggravated a groin strain while trying to finish his
match against Patrick Rafter on Friday night - he missed five match points in
the process -- and he admitted it felt "pretty ordinary" when he practised
with coach Darren Cahill on Saturday morning.

But, after Hewitt had outplayed Ferrero with surprising ease, 6-4, 6-3, he
said, "I didn't give myself much chance of finishing the match when I went on
court but I went out there mainly for the crowd who had come to see me play.
But once I held my first service games pretty well I just tried to play
attacking tennis and tried to forget about it and it obviously paid off."

By the second set, the Spaniard was a pale shadow of the man whose raking
forehand drives had earned him a spectacular victory over Goran Ivanisevic
the previous day and Ferrero admitted he was disappointed. "I knew that he
was injured but at the start I play well. Then I started to do mistakes, a
lot of mistakes all the time."

That is unlike Ferrero who had won a memorable Davis Cup rubber against
Hewitt on clay in last year's final. But this was a different Hewitt -
wounded but defiant and responding to the encouragment of a loyal Aussie
crowd.

They will have to be in his corner again to day because Hewitt has to face
Sebastien Grosjean for the second time in a week but this time over five
sets. On Monday Hewitt had won a tight three setter but admitted that the
Frenchman was probably still a little jet lagged, having only just flown in
from Paris where he had won his first Tennis Masters Series title. Since then
Grosjean has grown in confidence and his display yesterday against Yevgeny
Kafelnikov was astonishing. The Russian had been in prime form all week and
was desperately keen to reach his second Masters Cup final. But Grosjean,
covering the court like a little gazelle, ripped winners from every corner
and never allowed the Russian to find his rhythm. The victory, which enabled
Grosjean to become the first Frenchman ever to get this far in the year end
finals, was as decisive as the 6-4, 6-2 score suggests.

"You know, it's unbelievable," said Grosjean, "I played so well today. Since
three weeks I am playing great tennis. When I arrived I was just happy to be
here, amongst the eight best players in the world and now I play the final so
that's great."

Grosjean admitted that he was probably fresher than most players at this time
of year because he had been injured in the summer and was off the tour for
six weeks.
Now it remains to be seen whether Hewitt's guts and determination, not to say
courage, can pull him through against such a dangerous and skillfull opponent.
 
END--http://www.masters-cup.com/


Hewitt and Grosjean in Masters Cup final
By Julian Linden
 
SYDNEY, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Lleyton Hewitt celebrated his meteoric rise to
world number one by beating Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4 6-3 on Saturday to reach
the season-ending Masters Cup final.

The Australian, who became the youngest player in history to reach the number
one ranking when he beat Patrick Rafter on Friday, will meet Sebastien
Grosjean in Sunday's best-of-five-set final after the Frenchman defeated
Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-4 6-2.

Despite suffering from a groin strain that almost forced him to pull out of
the match, the 20-year-old Hewitt was far too quick and athletic for his
Spanish opponent, breaking him four times to seal victory in an
hour-and-a-half.

The U.S. Open champion saved two break points in the fourth game before
breaking Ferrero in the following game on his way to taking the first set in
46 minutes.

With the backing of a near-capacity crowd at Sydney's SuperDome, the venue
for gymnastics and basketball at last year's Olympics, Hewitt raced to a 4-0
lead in the second set before Ferrero staged a late rally.

The Spanish baseliner broke Hewitt for the first time as he won three games
in a row to pull back to 3-4 but Hewitt quickly snuffed out his hopes of a
turnaround as he closed out the match, breaking Ferrero's serve with a
cross-court forehand winner.

Hewitt said he almost did not make it on court because of his groin problem
but was confident he would be able to play the final.

"I didn't give myself that much of a chance of finishing the match when I
went out there...but I just tried to play attacking tennis and forget about
it," Hewitt said.

"There's a good chance I'm not going to be 100 per cent for the final but I'm
just going to have to try and fight through it.

"If I win or lose it's no big deal. For me, to win my first grand slam and
finish the year as the world number one and give myself a chance to win this
championship and the Davis Cup...I couldn't want a much better year."

Australia host France in the Davis Cup final in Melbourne from November 30 to
December 2.

Ferrero, who had the unusual experience of playing then world number one
Gustavo Kuerten in the round-robin phase only to meet the new number one in
the semifinals, predicted that Grosjean would win the final if Hewitt's
injury did not improve.

"I think if it is a long match, it will be hard for Hewitt," Ferrero said.
"It will be difficult because it is the best of five sets and Grosjean is
playing very well."

GROSJEAN QUICK
Grosjean needed just 69 minutes to book his place in the final against an
error-prone Kafelnikov in Saturday's first semifinal.

The Frenchman only just sneaked into the elite eight-man Masters Cup field
when he won the Masters series in Paris a fortnight ago, defeating Kafelnikov
along the way, but is in the best form of his career.

"I've been playing great tennis for the past three weeks and I'm confident
about my next match," Grosjean said.

"It's going to be tough, I'm playing the number one here in Sydney but I have
nothing to lose."

Grosjean lost his opening match of the tournament against Hewitt but has not
dropped a set since, beating Rafter and Andre Agassi to qualify for the
semifinals.

He broke Kafelnikov in the fifth game and held on to take the first set after
just 39 minutes, despite failing to convert his first four set points.

The pair traded breaks to reach 2-2 in the second set before Grosjean won the
last four games on the trot as Kafelnikov's game started to unravel.

The Russian, who won gold at last year's Sydney Olympics, made 27 unforced
errors and dropped serve four times to concede defeat in his final match for
the year.

"He played very well but he was obviously playing without any pressure," a
dejected Kafelnikov said.

"He was just going for every shot and not defending himself like I have to
all the time.

"But it's not all bad, I'll probably going skiing now, I think I deserve that
period of time for myself."


Hewitt, Grosjean reach final at Tennis Masters Cup
SportsTicker
 
SYDNEY, Australia (Ticker) -- Neither Juan Carlos Ferrero nor a groin injury
could stop new world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia on Saturday. 

Hewitt dispatched Ferrero, 6-4, 6-3, before an adoring crowd at the Sydney
SuperDome and will take on France's Sebastien Grosjean in Sunday's
best-of-five final of the $3.65 million Tennis Masters Cup. 

The Australian injured his left groin during a round-robin match against
Andre Agassi, aggravated it in Friday's victory over countryman Patrick
Rafter and was close to missing his semifinal. 

"I really didn't know if I was going to actually be able to play but I went
out there mainly for the crowd," Hewitt said. "I was just going to play it by
ear. It felt pretty ordinary out there this morning during the warm-up. I
didn't give myself that much chance of finishing when I went on the court." 

But Hewitt showed no ill effects, breaking his Spanish opponent in the
seventh game of the opening set and running up a 4-0 lead in the second.  He
converted the first of four match points with a running cross-court forehand
passing shot. 

At 20 years and eight months, Hewitt became the youngest world No. 1 on
Friday when last year's ATP Champions Race leader Gustavo Kuerten lost to
Russia's Yevgeny Kafelnikov, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. 

Since the start of the U.S. Open, Hewitt has won 21 of 23 matches.  He lost
to Tommy Haas and Nicolas Lapentti in his last two matches before this event
but completed the round-robin undefeated and has a chance to claim his sixth
tournament victory of the year. 

The Adelaide native won the adidas International in Sydney to start the year
before taking crowns at the Stella Artois, the Heineken Trophy, U.S. Open and
Japan Open.  He owns 11 career titles. 

Hewitt is trying to become the first undefeated champion at this year-end
event since Germany's Michael Stich captured the 1993 ATP World Championship
in Frankfurt. 

Grosjean is looking for his second straight title after cruising past
Kafelnikov, 6-4, 6-2, in Saturday's first semifinal.  The Russian was
unbeaten in the round robin but suffered his second straight defeat to the
Grosjean after losing in the final two weeks ago at the Tennis Masters Series
event in Paris. 

The 23-year-old Grosjean needed that win to qualify for his first trip to the
Tennis Masters Series Cup.  He bounced back from a loss in his first
round-robin match to Hewitt after winning the first set and had little
trouble against the previously undefeated Kafelnikov. 

"I've been playing great tennis for the past three weeks and I'm confident
about my next match," Grosjean said. "It's going to be tough, I'm playing the
No. 1 here in Sydney but I have nothing to lose." 

With a win Sunday, he would capture his third career title and become only
the fifth player to win the year-end championship in his debut.  John McEnroe
was the last player to achieve that feat in 1978. 

Hewitt improved to 3-0 lifetime against Grosjean with Monday's victory and is
set to face the diminutive Frenchman later this month when Australia battles
France in the Davis Cup final on grass in Melbourne. 

Youth is served, and Hewitt is No. 1
By JOHN PYE
.c The Associated Press
 
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Lleyton Hewitt is now No. 1, the youngest man to
hold the top ranking in tennis.

The 20-year-old Australian beat compatriot Patrick Rafter 7-5, 6-2 Friday at
the Masters Cup and replaced slumping Gustavo Kuerten for the top spot at
year's end.

Kuerten staggered to the finish by losing all three of his matches at this
tournament and dropping nine of his last 10 matches this season.

``To do it at the age of 20 and to do it in Australia is a dream,'' Hewitt
said. ``It's an unbelievable feeling - everything has gone my way this week.
It couldn't have worked out better.''

Jimmy Connors had been the youngest player to achieve the year-end No. 1
ranking. He achieved the feat at 22 in 1974, the year after computerized
rankings were introduced.

Hewitt is one month younger than Marat Safin was when the Russian briefly
held the top spot in November 2000.

Hewitt is the first Aussie to hold the No. 1 ranking at year's end and only
the 12th player overall. This is the fourth straight year there has been a
new No. 1, a first for the ATP.

Kuerten, the defending champion at the Masters, lost to Yevgeny Kafelnikov
6-2, 4-6, 6-3 Friday. In another match, Juan Carlos Ferrero downed Wimbledon
champion Goran Ivanisevic 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5).

Hewitt will play Ferrero in Saturday's semifinals. Kafelnikov will face
Sebastien Grosjean in the other match.

Kuerten, a three-time French Open champion, has been slowed by a groin injury
that might force him to miss next year's Australian Open.

Minutes after losing to Kafelnikov, the Brazilian began drinking champagne to
mark the end of his season.

``It was a special year,'' Kuerten said. ``I was the main focus in all
Brazil, all people all the time watching. Maybe they were proud. They were so
excited about myself coming from nowhere and fighting against all these
guys.''

Hewitt was assisted in his ascent to No. 1 by the failure of Kuerten and
Andre Agassi to reach the semifinals in Sydney. Hewitt's victory over Rafter
increased his Champions Race total to 783 points while Kuerten failed to add
to his 771.

A year ago, Kuerten overtook Safin's 75-point margin to clinch the top
ranking for 2000 by winning the Masters Cup in Portugal. His loss to
Kafelnikov took all the pressure off Hewitt, who is aiming for his sixth
title of 2001.

``If I can come off this high, I'll be competitive,'' Hewitt said. ``It
hasn't sunk in yet. It's not every week that you experience such a high - and
in the middle of a tournament.''

The U.S. Open champion went into the tournament trailing Kuerten by 48
points. He earned 20 points for each of his round-robin wins against
Grosjean, Agassi and Rafter.

Hewitt entered the ATP tour at No. 797 in 1997 when at 15 years, 11 months,
he became the youngest qualifier for the Australian Open.

The following year, he upset Agassi en route to his first title in his
hometown of Adelaide. He became the lowest-ranked tour winner in history at
No. 550.

His career has had bumps along the way. He has been fined for foul language
on the court and once for insulting a chair umpire. He angered fans in
Adelaide by calling them ``stupid'' for cheering his rival last year.

At the U.S. Open, Hewitt was criticized for a remark that some considered
racist. He contended the comment was taken out of context.

If Hewitt had lost to Rafter, he would have had to beat Ferrero to surpass
Kuerten. And Rafter didn't make it easy.

In the second game, he scrambled so hard for Hewitt's drop shot he had to
jump the net. He wound up sprawled on the ground on the other side of the
court.

The pair traded breaks in the fifth and sixth games before Hewitt broke in
the 11th game and then served out for the first set. Hewitt broke three times
in the second set but needed six match points to finish his opponent.

At the end, the pair embraced over the net. Hewitt acknowledged it was hard
to beat a player who had motivated him and a rival he considered his ``best
mate on tour.''

``I hope he takes my No. 1,'' Kuerten said after his loss to Kafelnikov.
``Because then I will have someone to pass.''

AP-NY-11-16-01 1432EST


Hewitt shoots to the top - three years early
By Julian Linden
 
SYDNEY, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Lleyton Hewitt started the year with ambitious
goals for a 20-year-old, to reach the top five in the world and make a grand
slam semifinal.

No one doubted his ability but most, including Hewitt, thought he was still a
few years away from achieving his aims.

But as the season draws to a close, there are no more doubts.

Not only did the Australian claim his first grand slam title by winning the
U.S. Open, but he also became the youngest man in history to finish the year
ranked number one in the world.

"I think it's come as a bit of shock to most of us," Hewitt said after
clinching the No.1 spot with a 7-5 6-2 win over Patrick Rafter at the Masters
Cup on Friday.

"My coach Darren Cahill and I were working on my game for another three or
four years down the track when I would be playing my best tennis.

"It's an unbelievable feeling. For me to do it at age 20 and to do it in
Australia, you just couldn't have written a better script."

Hewitt overtook Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten in the rankings to reach No.1 on
Friday at the age of just 20 and eight months.

The youngest player prior to Hewitt to finish the season as No. 1 was
American Jimmy Connors who was 22 years three months when he achieved the
feat in 1974.

"To now have it out of the way and to say you've been number one in the world
and won a grand slam, I can retire happy now," he said.

YOUNGEST EVER
Hewitt has been earmarked for greatness since he qualified for the 1997
Australian Open at 15 years 11 months, the youngest player ever.

Twelve months later he became the youngest winner on the ATP Tour in a decade
when he won a title in his home town of Adelaide, and the lowest-ranked
winner (550) in ATP history.

A year later, he won one title, at Delray Beach, and reached three finals and
was a member of the Australian Davis Cup team that beat France in the final.

Hewitt began to make his move up the rankings in 2000, capturing four title
and reaching the U.S. Open semifinals, but made his mark this year when he
beat Pete Sampras in the U.S. Open final.

"I guess it's something that I dreamt of as a young kid. When I first picked
up a tennis racket and watched so many of the great players on TV, I just
wished that one day I could win a grand slam or be the number one player in
the world," Hewitt said.

"My whole goal back then was to be in this position," .

"They're two dreams that when you're very young and running around on a
tennis court."

Rafter, who held the No.1 ranking for a week in 1999, said Hewitt had always
been destined for greatness.

"I am sort of surprised and not surprised because we have been waiting for it
for a while," Rafter said.

"It's been a strange thing because we have all been saying when is he going
to win one (a major tournament). He was bordering on winning a lot of
tournaments but wasn't winning the big matches yet.

"Then all of a sudden within a couple of months it happened so quickly."

Rafter said he was still amazed by Hewitt's maturity but felt his greatest
asset was his mental strength.

"At the end of the day he's only 20, youngest man ever, so wow," Rafter said.

"He does not miss. He reminds me of a Michael Chang, but better and stronger
and quicker."

10:04 11-16-01


Hewitt clinches year-end No. 1 ranking at Tennis Masters Cup
SportsTicker
 
SYDNEY, Australia (Ticker) -- Lleyton Hewitt could not have dreamed of a
better setting to make tennis history. 

In front of a raucous crowd, the Australian became the youngest men's player
to finish the year at No. 1 after beating childhood idol Patrick Rafter, 7-5,
6-2 on Friday at the $3.65 million Tennis Masters Cup. 

"It's an unbelievable feeling," Hewitt said.  "To become No. 1 at 20 years of
age, and to do it in Australia, you couldn't have written a better dream." 

At 20 years and eight months, Hewitt surpassed last year's Champions Race
leader Gustavo Kuerten, who lost earlier in the day to Russia's Yevgeny
Kafelnikov, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.  Kuerten finished 0-3 in the round-robin
tournament, failing to add to his total of 771 points in the ATP Champions
Race. 

Hewitt, the U.S. Open champion, entered the Cup trailing Kuerten by 48
points, but earned 20 points in the ATP Champions Race for each of his three
round-robin wins against Sebastien Grosjean, Andre Agassi and Rafter, raising
his total to 783 points. 

Jimmy Connors of the United States had been the youngest to achieve the
year-end No. 1 ranking at 22 years and three months in 1974, the year after
computerized rankings were introduced. Americans Jim Courier and Pete Sampras
were 22 years, four months in 1992 and 1993, respectively, when they finished
with the top ranking. 

Hewitt is the first Australian to finish the season No. 1. The previous best
Australian finishes were No. 2 by John Newcombe in 1973-74 and Rafter in
1997. 

A winner of a career-high five titles this year, including his first Grand
Slam, Hewitt will meet Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain in the semifinals on
Saturday. 

Ferrero beat Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia in two tiebreaks,
7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5) Friday to earn a spot in the semifinals. 

Kafelnikov will play Grosjean of France in Saturday's other semifinal match. 

With the No. 1 ranking at stake for Hewitt, the crowd of 16,800 at the Sydney
SuperDome -- the largest at a single-court stadium in Australia since the
1954 Davis Cup final -- cheered for him rather than the beloved Rafter. 

But Rafter did not roll over.  He went so hard after a drop shot by Hewitt in
the second game of the first set that he jumped the net and landed awkwardly
on Hewitt's side of the court. 

The crowd appreciated the effort, but had even more appreciation for Hewitt's
dominant play.  Hewitt broke Rafter in the 11th game, closed out the set in
51 minutes and then won the first four games of the second set. 

Afterwards, Hewitt saluted Rafter. 

"The guy has given me so much confidence and help.  He's one of the main
reasons I'm standing here right now," Hewitt said. 

Ferrero and Ivanisevic staged the best match of the day. Ivanisevic served 22
aces and saved five match points, but Ferrero pulled out the match with power
from the baseline and surprising net play. 

There were no breaks of serve in the first set, but Ferrero took the
tiebreak. 

Ivanisevic appeared to be in control of the second set when he broke
Ferrero's serve in the third game, but immediately surrendered his own serve.
 Again, it came down to the tiebreak and Ferrero appeared to be the more
composed player. 

Kafelnikov, who had already clinched a semifinal berth with wins over
Ivanisevic and Ferrero, completed a perfect 3-0 run with the victory over
Kuerten. 

Kafelnikov won 17 straight points at one point and finished off the first set
in 21 minutes.  But Kuerten, who was nursing a sore groin, battled back and
took the second set. 

Kafelnikov regained control, winning four of the first five games in the
third set. 

"It was tough for me to play," Kuerten said of his injury. 

As the winner of the Ken Rosewall Group, Kafelnikov is matched against
Grosjean, the runnerup in the John Newcombe Group. Grosjean sealed a spot in
the semifinals by winning two of his three matches in the Newcombe group. 

Third seed Andre Agassi, who won four tournaments in 2001, including the
Australian Open, was eliminated on Thursday. 

Hewitt overhauls Kuerten as No. 1
By JOHN PYE
.c The Associated Press
 
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Lleyton Hewitt will be the youngest man to finish
the year at No. 1 after a 7-5, 6-2 win Friday over fellow Australian Patrick
Rafter at the season-ending Masters Cup.

Hewitt, 20 years and eight months, overhauled Champions Race leader Gustavo
Kuerten in the last round-robin match at Sydney's SuperDome to clinch the top
ranking.

The win increased Hewitt's Champions Race total to 783 points. Kuerten failed
to add to his 771 points, limping out of the Cup with an 0-3 record and a
groin injury.

``To do it at the age of 20 and to do it in Australia is a dream,'' Hewitt
said. ``It's an unbelievable feeling - everything has gone my way this week
with all the match ups.''

Jimmy Connors had been the youngest to achieve the year-end No. 1 ranking at
22 years and three months in 1974, the year after computerized rankings were
introduced.

Hewitt will meet Juan Carlos Ferrero in a semifinal on Saturday. Yevgeny
Kafelnikov will play Sebastien Grosjean in the other semi.

Hewitt, the U.S. Open champion, entered the Cup trailing Kuerten by 48
points. He earned 20 points for each of his round-robin wins against
Grosjean, No. 3 Andre Agassi and Rafter.

Kuerten and Agassi, the only players in the eight-man draw with a chance of
finishing at No. 1, both contributed to Hewitt's ascent by failing to reach
the semis.

Kuerten, who secured the No. 1 ranking by winning last year's Masters Cup in
Portugal, all but handed Hewitt top spot after his 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 loss to
Kafelnikov hours earlier.

Agassi finished 1-2, opening with a win over Rafter before losses to Hewitt
and Grosjean.

If Hewitt had lost to the injury-plagued Rafter, he would have had to win
Saturday against No. 4 Ferrero - who beat Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic
7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) in Friday's penultimate match - to surpass the Brazilian.

And Rafter didn't prove to be a pushover.

In the second game, he scrambled so hard for a Hewitt drop shot that he
jumped the net and landed sprawled on the ground on the wrong side of the
court.

The pair traded breaks before Hewitt made the decisive break in the 11th game
and served out the set in 51 minutes.

Hewitt broke Rafter three times in the second set but needed six match
points. Rafter held advantage twice before Hewitt produced the winning
crosscourt forehand on 1 hour, 37 minutes.

Hewitt has won 20 of his last 22 matches in a stretch that included his first
Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open, while Rafter has been sidelined since
Australia's Davis Cup semifinal win over Sweden and has just one win in 10
weeks.

Earlier, Kuerten challenged Hewitt to overtake him, saying it would give him
a target for 2002.

``I hope he takes my No. 1 because then I will have someone to pass,'' he
said.

Kafelnikov, who'd qualified for a semifinal against Grosjean with his earlier
wins over Ivanisevic and Ferrero, won 17 consecutive points early and took
the first set in 21 minutes.

Kuerten rallied in the second, breaking Kafelnikov in the fifth and then
sought treatment between sets for his injured groin.

``I'm having a lot of trouble with my leg, so it was tough for me to play,''
Kuerten said.

Kafelnikov saved eight break points in the third set and closed it on his
third match point.

Kuerten wasn't concerned about three consecutive losses.

``I don't feel disappointed,'' he said. ``I came back strong in the second
and third sets. I think I played better than him, but I just missed
opportunities a lot of times.''

In the second match, Ferrero won a tight battle for the remaining semifinal
spot.

Ivanisevic saved five match points at 4-5 in the second, serving three aces
and two booming first serves to make up for some missed volleys near the net.

But Ferrero won on his sixth match point when Ivanisevic put a backhand
return into the net.

The 21-year-old Spaniard is debuting in the year-end tournament and is
guaranteed of a year-end top 10 spot for the first time.

AP-NY-11-16-01 0809EST


Hewitt Makes History
By Richard Evans

Not for the first time this year, the game of tennis has brought a joyous
tear to the eye of hundreds of thousands of people around the world. After
Jennifer Capriati and Goran Ivanisevic winning their Grand Slams, came
Lleyton Hewitt achieving something equally astonishing - ascending to the top
of the tennis tree as the youngest man ever to do so since the first proper
rankings were instigated by the ATP in 1973.

And the 20-year-old from Adelaide did it in the most Australian of settings
in front of a 16,000 crowd at Sydney's SuperDome against an opponent who
could truly and honestly share his joy.

Patrick Rafter didn't give Hewitt an easy ride when they met in the last of
the day's round robin matches at the Tennis Masters Cup. Despite injuries to
shoulder and the upper arm, Rafter, as honest a sportsman as you can find,
had vowed to fight for every point - and so he did. In fact he was trying so
hard to reach a Hewitt drop shot early in the match that he had to half jump
and half fall over the net before landing flat on his back on Lleyton's side
of the court. Picking himself up, Rafter fought back from a break down in
that first set and then, having lost it 7-5, played with Hewitt's nerves as
the prize stood, tantalisingly, a point away at 5-2 in the second.

Five times Hewitt reached - and missed - match points with the crowd on the
edge of their seats, ready for the biggest roar of the week. Then finally he
made it and Rafter was there at the net to embrace the man with whom he will
try and win back the Davis Cup for Australia against France in ten days time.

It was an emotional and historic moment for Australian sport. Only Rafter
himself, in 1999, and John Newcombe back in 1973, had raised the Australian
flag on the top of the tennis Everest and for Adelaide, in particular, it was
an especially proud moment. "We don't have too many world No. 1's from
Adelaide," said Mark Woodforde, who as a champion doubles player, was one of
them himself.

Hewitt had only been able to achieve his lofty goal before the semi-finals as
a result of Gustavo Kuerten losing in three sets to Yevgeny Kafelnikov
earlier in the afternoon. Had the Brazilian won, he would have forced Hewitt
to reach the final in persuit of the top spot even though he, himself, could
not reach the semi-final. Kuerten battled hard in a well fought match but
needed treatement yet again for a recurring groin strain and announced
afterwards that he would miss the Australian Open in an attempt to give the
injury a proper amount of time to heal before getting ready for Brazil's
Davis Cup tie against Slovakia in February.

Amazingly Hewitt's achievement was not the only eye catching event of the
day. In early evening, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Goran Ivanisevic staged the
most spectacular match of the week. The Spaniard's smooth but penetrating
hitting from the back court was constantly countered by Goran's big serves
and blistering forehands and some of the rallies as both men advanced on the
net defied the eye. It was a straight fight for the last semi-final spot and
eventually it went to the blond Spaniard 7-6, 7-6.

"It was great match," said Ivanisevic afterwards. "It was a great atmosphere,
fun to play, but unfortunately I lost. That is the sad part of tennis, you
know. "

Happily for his legion of fans, Goran will be back in these parts in the New
Year, starting his 2002 campaign at the Heineken Open in Auckland.
 
END--http://www.masters-cup.com/


11/16/01 -- Hewitt Claims No.1 in front of 16,800

Lleyton Hewitt chose the perfect setting to write himself into tennis history
Friday when he defeated his childhood idol Patrick Rafter 7-5, 6-2 to become
the youngest-ever year-end world No.1.

By going 3-0 in round-robin play at the Tennis Masters Cup in Sydney, Hewitt
ensured that he would win the ATP Champions Race by moving ahead of last
year's Champions Race winner Gustavo Kuerten, who failed to win a match in
Sydney. And the 20-year-old Australian earned the honor in front of 16,800
delighted home fans by beating Rafter, the man he will now replace as
Australia's biggest sporting star. The massive crowd was the largest at a
single-court stadium in Australia since the 1954 Davis Cup final at White
City, Sydney, between Australia and the US.

Hewitt went on a seven-game tear in the middle of the match to set up the
win. After exchanging breaks with Rafter early in the first set, Hewitt held
at 4-5, broke at 5-5, served out the set and then raced to a 4-0 lead in the
second. When Hewitt closed out the match to become the 20th player to achieve
the No.1 ranking, and just the 11th to finish the year No.1, Rafter, a former
No.1 himself, warmly embraced his protegee at the net.

Hewitt, who walked onto court to theme music from the movie "Rocky", said:
"It's an unbelievable feeling. To become No.1 at 20 years of age, and to do
it in Australia, you couldn't have written a better dream. The last three to
four months have been unbelievable, and hopefully things we'll get even
bigger from here. I've got a semifinal of the Masters Cup and hopefully a
final, and then the Davis Cup final."

US Open champion Hewitt had mixed emotions about beating Rafter, who went 0-3
in round-robin play, to claim the No.1 title. "It was hard going out tonight
knowing that this was on the line. I didn't want to play Pat tonight - he's
my best mate on tour. The guy has given me so much confidence and help, and
he's one of the main reasons why I'm standing here right now. I felt more
nervous tonight than in the US Open final and I struggled early, but I got
better as the match went on."

Despite the loss, Rafter was pleased that Hewitt had taken the No.1 title and
said that he had also taken something positive from the match. "One positive
besides Lleyton going to No.1 is that the arm started to settle down, so
hopefully I'll be able to give the Davis Cup final a go. Well done to
Lleyton. He's a good mate and an incredible Davis Cup team member - the best
Australia has seen for a long time."

In presenting Hewitt with the No.1 trophy for winning the ATP Champions Race
2001, ATP Chief Executive Officer Mark Miles also paid tribute to Rafter, who
will take a sabbatical for at least the first half of next year "How
appropriate that Lleyton has won the ATP Champions Race after two Aussies
played in front of the biggest crowd since 1954," Miles said on centre court.
"This is Lleyton Hewitt's night, but there is still a lot of love in this
building for you," Miles said to Rafter, drawing thunderous cheers from fans.
 
END--http://www.masters-cup.com/


Hewitt seals No. 1 ranking with Masters Cup win
By Julian Linden
 
SYDNEY, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Australia's Lleyton Hewitt beat Patrick Rafter 7-5
6-2 at the Masters Cup on Friday to become the youngest player in the history
of the game to end the year as world number one.

At the age of 20 years and eight months, the Australian U.S. Open champion
produced his third successive victory in the season-ending tournament to move
past Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten in the world rankings.

Hewitt became the youngest year-end number one in the men's game since
American Jimmy Connors, who set the benchmark in 1974 aged 22 years and three
months.

"It's an unbelievable feeling," Hewitt said. "For me to do it at age 20 and
to do it in Australia, you just couldn't have written a better script."

The Australian entered the Sydney SuperDome to the theme song from the Rocky
movies and wasted little time in delivering the knockout punch to his Davis
Cup team mate.

The pair traded service breaks midway through the first set before Hewitt's
superior fitness and accurate ground strokes enabled him to get on top of
Rafter, who was suffering an arm injury.

Hewitt got the decisive break in the 11th game when he whipped a backhand
cross-court to break Rafter's serve. He then held his own to take the first
set in 51 minutes.

Hewitt immediately took control of the second set, winning the first four
games to open up a commanding lead, then allowed Rafter just two games before
sealing his place in the history books.

WINLESS TOURNAMENT
Kuerten had started the tournament 48 points in front of Hewitt but failed to
win a single match.

The Brazilian lost 6-2 4-6 6-3 to Yevgeny Kafelnikov in his final round-robin
match on Friday, opening the door for Hewitt to overtake him just by beating
Rafter.

Kuerten was already out of the running to make the semifinals in the
season-ending event but put up a brave effort against Kafelnikov despite
suffering a groin strain.

"I don't feel disappointed, I had a great year," Kuerten said.

"I was having a lot of problems with my leg and it was tough for me to play
but I gave it my best."

Kuerten began well, breaking Kafelnikov's opening service game, but proceeded
to lose the next 17 points in a row as the Russian raced through the first
set in just 21 minutes.

Kuerten twice needed treatment but defied his obvious discomfort to break
Kafelnikov's serve and hold his own to pinch the second set before Kafelnikov
reasserted his control in the final set to clinch victory after an hour and
37 minutes.

"I did not expect Gustavo to play so poorly in the first set, but I think the
injury must have had something to with that," Kafelnikov said.

VERY INTERESTING
"But, as the match went on, he became looser and looser and he got some
treatment. It got very interesting."

Kafelnikov, who won the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics just a short stroll
from the SuperDome, faces Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean in Saturday's
semifinals.

"The first stage is over but I think that is where the tournament starts,"
Kafelnikov said.

"I have to approach the next match like nothing's happened in the previous
three matches.

"I believe I can play very well in the next two matches because I still have
enough energy."

Hewitt will play Juan Carlos Ferrero in Saturday's semifinals after the
Spaniard beat Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic 7-6 7-6 in an entertaining
match that could have gone either way.

Ivanisevic saved five match points in the 10th game of the second set to
force another tiebreaker but the Spaniard held his nerve on the big points to
secure his place in the last four.

07:07 11-16-01

Amazing Hewitt Takes Command of Agassi
By Richard Evans

Lleyton Hewitt continues to astonish. The South Australian is still only 20.
He says he still suffers from breathing problems at the end of long rallies,
and his serve was broken twice in the first set against Andre Agassi in front
of a 12,000 crowd at the SuperDome in the second series of round robin
matches at the Tennis Masters Cup. And yet the new US Open champion comes
through with a stunning 6-3, 6-4 victory that ensures his qualification for
Saturday's knock out semifinals.

With two of the best returners of serve on court, it might not have been so
surprising that serve was broken five times in the first set. But for Hewitt
to take such complete command of a match that still seemed in the balance at
3-3 in the first set said everything about his ability to seize command of a
situation with the precision of his counter-attacking ground strokes. As
well, of course, of his legs. They may be short and a little bit skinny, but
they get him everywhere and no matter how well Agassi probed the far corners
of the court, Hewitt was on the end of everything even if, as he put it
somewhat graphically, he was struggling to "suck it in; get my breath back
and get ready for the next point."

Doctors have no idea what ails Hewitt, but it is a condition that the
youngster had learned to live with and he has no intention of allowing it to
impede his progress to a series of immediate goals -- victory in this
tournament; the possibility of overtaking Gustavo Kuerten to claim the year
end No 1 spot, then help Australia to beat France in the Davis Cup Final.

How does he maintain the pace? "He is so quick and he gets to the ball early
and he can beat you by the element of surprise, which is a huge weapon in his
game," says Agassi. "You know, he just had the answer to all my shots today."

Rafter had few answers against Sebastien Grosjean, because the shoulder and
arm that have been troubling him with increasing frequency in recent months
prevented him from getting enough pace or tweak on his serve to worry the
Frenchman. Rarely did a Rafter serve top 107 mph and although the
Queenslander came up with a series of spectacular volleys as he battled to
stay in the match there was never much chance of him preventing Grosjean from
claiming a morale-boosting pre Davis Cup victory by 7-6(4), 6-3.

Afterwards Rafter admitted that it was a thin line between wanting to keep
hitting competitive balls and worrying about his fitness for the Davis Cup.
Having announced that he had no intention of pulling out of his third round
robin match against Hewitt on Friday -- even though Hewitt has now qualified
for the semifinals and Rafter cannot qualify, win or lose -- Patrick added,
"The match play is what I need and anyway and I need to be competitive. I
need to try and win and I'm not going to make it easy for Lleyton, either."
 
END--http://www.masters-cup.com/


Hewitt outclasses Agassi, cuts Kuerten's lead
By JOHN PYE
.c The Associated Press
 
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Lleyton Hewitt broke Andre Agassi's serve in four
consecutive games Wednesday on the way to a 6-3, 6-4 Masters Cup victory,
bringing the Australian closer to the No. 1 ranking.

Hewitt and Agassi came into the season-ending event ranked second and third.
Both are within reach of overhauling top-ranked Gustavo Kuerten, who had 771
points and a 48-point lead on Hewitt, the U.S. Open champion.

With 20 points from each of his opening wins at Sydney's SuperDome against
Sebastien Grosjean and Agassi, Hewitt has 763 points. Kuerten lost his
opening round-robin match against Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic.

Kuerten seized the No. 1 ranking at the end of 2000 with a dramatic charge to
win at the last Masters Cup in Portugal, when he overhauled Marat Safin's
75-point lead.

But the Brazilian has been on a losing slide since the U.S. Open in September
and says he'll need a major confidence boost to repeat in Sydney. He plays
Juan Carlo Ferrero of Spain on Thursday.

The 20-year-old Hewitt is aiming to become the youngest year-end No. 1 ince
ATP rankings were introduced in 1973. Agassi, 31, is still in contention to
be the oldest year-end No. 1.

``I'm not thinking about it,'' Hewitt said of the No. 1 ranking. ``If it
happens, it happens - it would be a great way to finish the year.''

He described the win, his first against Agassi in Australia since his
shocking victory at 16 at Adelaide in 1998, as one of his best.

``I didn't have my game right on range at the start, then I got back into the
match,'' Hewitt said. ``It was pretty big to break back early in the first
set.''

He is assured of reaching the semifinals after No. 7 Grosjean later beat No.
6 Pat Rafter 7-6 (4), 6-3 in 82 minutes. Rafter, after two defeats, can't
qualify.

Agassi, however, has a make-or-break clash Friday with Grosjean. They are are
1-1, the Frenchman winning last time at the French Open this year.

``We're going to have a lot of baseline rallies and I will have a chance to
step up my level,'' Agassi said. ``If I can qualify for the semis - it's just
one more opportunity to find my best game.''

Before 11,566 spectators - the biggest tennis crowd in Sydney since 1954 -
Hewitt and Agassi each won their opening serves before trading two breaks
apiece to remain level at 3-3.

The Aussie held serve before Agassi double-faulted at 30-40 in the next game
and Hewitt served out for the set in 40 minutes with a booming first serve.

``With all due respect to the way he played, I think that was a far cry from
my best,'' Agassi said. ``I felt that I could've stepped it up a little more,
been a bit more aggressive on my rally shots.''

Agassi returned to tournament play Monday - a 6-2, 6-4 win over Rafter - for
the first time since the birth last month of his son, Jaden Gil.

Hewitt broke Agassi at love in the opening game of the second set and took a
2-0 lead before Agassi held serve for only the second time in the match.

Agassi, a seven-time Grand Slam titlist, then saved three break points before
holding to go 3-2 and getting back on level terms by breaking Hewitt in the
next game.

But Hewitt struck back immediately when Agassi double-faulted at 15-40. He
then fired two aces to win the next game at love.

The match was over in 1 hour, 32 minutes when Agassi, after blowing two
opportunities to break back to 5-5, put a backhand in the net.

Hewitt and Agassi are the only players with a chance of overhauling Kuerten
and preventing the Brazilian from finishing back-to-back seasons atop the
tour standings.

Players are awarded 20 points for a win in each of their three round-robin
matches here, 40 for a semifinal victory and 50 for a victory in the final.

AP-NY-11-14-01 0807EST


Hewitt out-slugs Agassi to close on No 1 spot
By Paul Tait
 
SYDNEY, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Lleyton Hewitt strengthened his claim on the
year-end top ranking when he outfought Andre Agassi 6-3 6-4 in a Masters Cup
round robin match on Wednesday.

But Pat Rafter, Hewitt's Davis Cup team mate, saw his own Masters hopes end
when he was beaten 7-6 6-3 by in-form Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean, who is
likely to face the two Australians at the Davis Cup final in Melbourne from
November 30.

Australian Hewitt dominated a surprisingly scrappy contest and leapt with joy
when Agassi put an attempted drop shot into the net after 91 minutes at
Homebush Bay.

"It's up there, it felt pretty good tennis out there," U.S. Open champion
Hewitt said when asked to rank only his second career win over Agassi, the
winner of seven Grand Slam titles.

"I thought I hit the ball bloody well tonight."

Hewitt and Agassi are trying to topple French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten
in the Champions' Race at the season-ending tournament, the 20-year-old
Australian bidding to become the youngest player to end the year with the top
ranking.

"I'm not thinking about it (the number one ranking)," Hewitt said. "Like I
keep saying, if it happens, it happens."

Eleven years Hewitt's senior, Agassi is hoping to become the oldest to
achieve the feat but he was unhappy with his performance in a match marred by
unforced errors and inconsistent serving.

"With all due respect to the way he played, I think I was a far cry from my
best," the American said. "I'm quite disappointed with the way I executed my
shots."

Undefeated Hewitt booked himself a semifinal place after downing Agassi.

The American must now beat Grosjean in their final round robin match on
Thursday to determine who becomes the second semifinalist from the John
Newcombe Group.

Rafter, though, has no chance of progressing after falling to both Grosjean
and Agassi.

Agassi and Hewitt began their match with a succession of long baseline
rallies on the backhand side, probing for an advantage.

EXPERIENCED OPPONENT
Third seed Agassi made the first break of serve in the third game but his
advantage soon crumbled as the pair swapped breaks for four successive games.

Hewitt steadied the ship in the seventh game as his more experienced
opponent's service game fell apart. Agassi dropped four straight service
games to hand Hewitt the first set and an important advantage in the first
game of the second.

Agassi, the Australian Open champion, looked uncharacteristically tentative,
while Hewitt managed to control his wayward serve and found his range with a
succession of forehand winners.

He took full advantage by winning five straight games to establish a 2-0 lead
in the second set from which not even Agassi, the great fighter, was able to
recover.

Agassi broke Hewitt again in the sixth game of the second set but immediately
dropped his own serve, meekly surrendering it with a double fault, and Hewitt
produced three aces in a row to reinforce his advantage.

Agassi and Hewitt won their first round robin matches on Monday over Rafter
and Grosjean respectively, and Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic's defeat
of Kuerten on Tuesday gave them both a little breathing space.

By Tuesday, Kuerten's lead over Hewitt had been cut by 20 points to just 28,
with Agassi another 39 points back.

Hewitt's victory over Agassi cut that lead to a notional eight points,
although the out-of-form Kuerten plays his second match of the Ken Rosewall
Group on Thursday.

Kuerten's form has faltered since the U.S. Open, the Brazilian suffering four
first-round defeats since the last Grand Slam of the season.

Rafter was outplayed by Paris Masters champion on Wednesday but was also in
pain from a shoulder injury that has troubled him for most of this year.

He required treatment on his shoulder late in the second set and returned to
the court with his elbow and forearm strapped.

Despite the pain of his injury and the importance of the Davis Cup, Rafter
said he needed match practice and would not pull out of his dead match
against Hewitt.

08:14 11-14-01

Hewitt and Agassi start well Nov 12 2001

Champions Race rivals Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi both made good starts at the Tennis Masters Cup in Sydney. 

Hewitt fought back from a set down to beat Sebastien Grosjean in the opening match of the season-ending tournament. 

Meanwhile, Agassi eased past Wimbledon runner-up Pat Rafter in straight sets. 

Hewitt and Agassi are currently second and third respectively in the Champions Race behind Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten.

The three men are the only players who have a chance of being crowned world number one at the end of the season. 

Home favourite Hewitt came through to win 3-6 6-2 6-3 against Frenchman Grosjean in the Sydney event. 

Grosjean took advantage of a Hewitt double-fault at break point in the fourth game before taking the first set in 36 minutes. 

But the 20-year-old Australian was in control from then on, breaking twice in the second set and racing to a 3-0 lead in the third. 

He then secured victory on his first match point after Grosjean netted a backhand. 

In Monday's other match, Agassi beat Rafter 6-2 6-4. 

The 31-year-old American dropped his opening service game but then reeled off six games in a row to take the first set in 27 minutes. 

He broke Rafter again in the third game of the second set but then dropped his own serve and had to save further break points in his next service game. 

But Agassi then regained his composure to win three of the next four games and serve out to love for a victory in one hour and 13 minutes. 

Kuerten, who has been drawn in the other group, plays his first match on Tuesday against Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic. 

Mixed start for Aussies 

www.Sportal.com.au

Lleyton Hewitt made a perfect start to his Masters Cup campaign with a win against Sebastien Grosjean, but fellow Australian Pat Rafter lost in straight sets to Andre Agassi in Sydney.
Hewitt must go through the tournament undefeated if he has any chance to claim the world No.1 ranking and after a slow start finished over the top of the Frenchman in commanding fashion with a 3-6 6-2 6-3 win.

"There's a long way to go," Hewitt said of his chances. "You can potentially win two matches and still miss out (on the semi-finals) if everything goes the wrong way.

"So you've got to go out there with the attitude to win every match and that's what I'm here to do. So far so good."

The win, Hewitt's 18th from his last 20 matches, also gave the Australian a minor psychological edge over his French opponent ahead of the looming Davis Cup final at Melbourne Park.

The Davis Cup final will be played on grass in a best-of-five-sets format, rather than the indoor hardcourt of the Masters Cup, and both players played down the significance of this result heading into the match.

Meanwhile, bidding to become the oldest year-end world No.1 in the history of ATP rankings (since 1973), 31-year-old Agassi showed he still had the credentials to match it with the other contenders for the title, Hewitt and Gustavo Kuerten, with a 6-2 6-4 victory.

Rafter made a strong start going to a 2-0 lead, but lost the next six games as Agassi found his touch. The Australian again started well in the second set and looked to be staging a characteristic fight back, but Agassi grabbed a crucial 5-4 lead after Rafter double-faulted on break point. Agassi did not look back to serve out the final game to love.

Rafter acknowledged he was well off his best.

"We both came out a little bit rusty but Andre was a lot better than what I was," Rafter said. 

Agassi Fires Past Rafter

Andre Agassi came out firing against Patrick Rafter to win through 6-2, 6-4 on Monday at the Tennis Masters Cup in Sydney. The American joins Lleyton Hewitt at the head of the John Newcombe Group and remains in the hunt for the year-end number one spot. 

Just 87 points behind ATP Champions Race 2001 leader Gustavo Kuerten when the action began, third placed Agassi narrowed the gap to 67 points and closed up on second placed Hewitt, who also won on day one.

Rafter and Agassi struggled to hit top form as they tried to mirror the excitement of previous meetings. Agassi hadn't played since becoming a father shortly after Tennis Masters Series Stuttgart, and Rafter's last action was in his country's Davis Cup semifinal against Sweden in September. But the match still had its moments. Rafter broke early to lead 2-0, and Agassi hit back immediately to take six games in a row and the first set. 

In the first game of the second set, Agassi again threatened the Australian's serve, and while Rafter stood firm, he couldn't hold off the American in his next service game.

Rafter showed brief glimpses of what he could do to level at 2-2. Mixing up his preferred net-attack with impressive patience from the baseline, Rafter seemed to be getting a foot-hold in the match, but at 4-4, a double fault cost him his serve and Agassi went on to take the match.


Hewitt, Agassi open brightly at Masters Cup
Monday November 12, www.cnnsi.com

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Lleyton Hewitt overcame Sebastien Grosjean and Andre Agassi steamrolled Pat Rafter as the world's second- and third-ranked players closed the gap on No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten in the opening matches of the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup. 

Hewitt revived his charge for the top ranking when he rallied from a set down Monday to beat Grosjean 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 at Sydney's SuperDome. 

Agassi, who finished No. 1 in 1999 and led the 2001 Champions Race for 24 weeks, then beat Rafter 6-2, 6-4 in 1 hour and 13 minutes. 

The American trailed 0-2 after dropping his opening service game but stormed back to win six consecutive games and take the first set in 27 minutes. 

He faltered after breaking Rafter to go 2-1 in the second, dropping his own serve and then having to save two break points to draw level at 3-3. 

After giving the No. 6-ranked Rafter a rare breakpoint chance with a long forehand, the usually cool Agassi swatted the ball into the crowd in frustration. 

But he regained his composure to win three of the next four games and serve out to love when the Australian put a backhand return into the net. 

The winner of the ATP Champions Race will be decided at the Masters Cup for the second successive year. 

Kuerten, who overhauled Marat Safin's 75-point lead last year by winning the Masters Cup at Lisbon, Portugal, on back-to-back wins over Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, is 1-5 in his most recent six matches and needs a big showing to hold top spot. 

Going into the tournament, Kuerten had 771 points and a 48-point lead over second-place Hewitt, who won his maiden Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open amid an ATP record 17-match winning stretch. Agassi had 684 points. 

Players get 20 points for a win in each of their three round-robin matches here, 40 for a semifinal victory and 50 if they win the tournament. 

Hewitt is now on 743 points and Agassi on 704 after the opening matches in the John Newcombe group. Kuerten won't be on court until Tuesday, when he opens his campaign in the Ken Rosewall group against Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanisevic. 

The eight-man field is divided into two groups named in honor of two of Australia's greatest players. 

Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain plays Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia to open round-robin play in the Ken Rosewall group on Tuesday. 

The format and points difference means that if Kuerten wins all three of his round-robins and his semifinal, Hewitt would have to win the tournament to catch him. 

The 31-year-old Agassi, who recently married Steffi Graf and also became a father, is the only other player who can overhaul Kuerten. 

In the opening match, Hewitt double faulted at 30-40 in the fourth game to surrender the initial momentum to his French rival, who served successive aces at 5-3 and 30-all to clinch the first set in 36 minutes. 

But from then on, the 20-year-old Australian took command, converting two of three break points in the second set and leveling the match with a typical scrambling effort. 

Scurrying to the net to return Grosjean's backhand drop shot, Hewitt forced the Frenchman into a floating, backhand volley and then leaped high to smash an overhead cross court for the set. 

He reeled off five straight games to secure the second and take a 3-0 lead in the deciding set before Grosjean held serve. 

Hewitt closed the match in 1:50 on his first match point when Grosjean sent a backhand into the net. 

Grosjean, who advanced to his first Masters Cup after securing seventh spot on the ATP Champions Race with his win Nov. 4 in the Paris Indoors final, could get a chance for revenge if the pair meet when Australia hosts France in the Nov. 30-Dec. 2 Davis Cup final at Melbourne.

Hewitt Off to Winning Start
Nov 12, 2001 - Masters Cup site

Lleyton Hewitt launched the Tennis Masters Cup Sydney in style with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Sebastien Grosjean in the first match of the season-ending spectacular. In front of a packed house at the Sydney Superdome, Hewitt withstood a storm of winners from Grosjean to take a 1-0 lead in the John Newcombe Group and further his chances of ending the year as the number one player in the world. 

Now just 28 points behind leader Gustavo Kuerten in the ATP Champions Race 2001, Hewitt's chances would have been severely damaged had Grosjean been able to continue the form with which he began the match. 

The man who lifted the Tennis Masters Series Paris shield a week earlier, took an early break of serve to lead 3-1. Mixing up a cocktail of spins, Grosjean consistently moved the Australian around before running around his two-handed backhand to blast forehand winners. He took the first set 6-3 and seemed firmly in command.

While Hewitt was playing solidly from the back of the court, he didn't seem able to hurt the Frenchman, but once Grosjean started missing more in the second set, Hewitt grew in stature. 

The first three games of the second set went with serve, but after a long fourth game, Hewitt broke. Grosjean still produced the occasional stunning winner, but the 20-year-old from Adelaide wasn't missing a thing, and after saving one break point, Grosjean succumbed. At 5-2, the US Open champion broke for a second time, running down a Grosjean drop-shot and putting away a smash to take the set 6-2. 

By now, the crowd in the Sydney SuperDome were fully into the match, cheering on their boy and waving Hewitt banners. The Australian didn't let them down. 

Breaking in the second game of the third set, Hewitt took a 2-0 lead, and then won the point of the match. After a baseline exchange, he lobbed the on-rushing Frenchman who came up with a stunning through-the-legs shots and kept the rally going for another eight strokes before finally netting. It gave Hewitt a 3-0 advantage and summed up the match. The man from Marseille had given everything, but couldn't quite keep the Australian down. 

Hewitt kept up the pressure and finally came through 6-3 in the third set.