Hot Hewitt Trying To Hose Down Grassfire 20 June 2000 by Leo Schlink The Daily Telegraph 

 There's cunning behind the cuteness of Lleyton Hewitt, just ask American Pete 
Sampras. The world's best player on grass was yesterday mauled by the 19 year old South 
Australian in the final of the Queen's tournament In London. The 6-4 6-4 win was Hewitt's fourth 
title this year and brought his 2000 prize money to $1 million. The victory took him to seventh 
in the world rankings and third in the ATP champion's race. Despite destroying the most lethal 
grasscourt game of a generation, and possibly of all time, Hewitt continued to claim that he was 
still not a contender for the Wimbledon title in a fortnight. "Not at the moment," he answered 
to suggestions he had the weaponry to become Australia's first Wimbledon champion since Pat 
Cash in 1987. The well-rehearsed reply has been Hewitt's stock response in the weeks since his 
stature in the game soared. But a shellshocked Sampras yesterday warned that no one should be 
taken in by the Australian's understated self-assessment. "He's going to be a threat, definitely" 
Sampras said after Hewitt had ended the American's 23-match winning streak on English 
grass. "His service has really improved from the last time we played in Miami but it was his 
passing shots that really stood out. "He's got the returns and the passing shots and he's 
probably the best mover we've got in the game, which is a big, big thing. "He's going to get 
better and more experienced, his game is pretty grown, he's very consistent, he's got a good 
heart and a good mind. "He's got an aura about him that other players know he's going to be 
around in the second week and could possibly go all the way." Although Hewitt clearly attempted 
to play down his soaring stocks, he could not contain his joy at toppling Sampras. "It's 
unbelievable," he said after hoisting the largest trophy in international tennis. "It's a 
little bit of a dream. Playing and beating a guy I've looked up to for so many years, had 
so much respect for and to have beaten him at such an important tournament is amazing. "He's 
such a great player. There are times when you kinda think he's invincible." Sampras had not 
lowered his colours on grass since he crumbled to a straight-sets loss to Mark Woodforde at 
Queen's Club two years ago. Since then the Californian had carved up 23 challengers to land two
Wimbledon trophies and the Stella (Queen's) silverware last year. Remarkably, Hewitt outserved 
Sampras with nine aces to five and, in adding to the titles already won in Adelaide, Sydney and 
Scottsdale, he was astonishingly composed even after making a rough start. "I really didn't feel 
any pressure because people thought Sampras was going to beat me pretty easily," Hewitt said. 
In season 2000 Hewitt now has the enviable singles record of 41-8 and is far and away Australia's
most in-form player.END 

White-Hot Hewitt Dethrones Sampras at Queen's
By Bill Barclay

LONDON, June 18 (Reuters) - Australian teenager Lleyton Hewitt dished out a
grass court lesson to six times Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras when he won
the $800,000 London grass court final 6-4 6-4 on Sunday.
The 19-year-old from Adelaide swept aside Sampras at a boiling hot Queen's
Club to take his first grass court title.
``It was unbelievable,'' said Hewitt, the number six seed who beat three
other big servers in David Wheaton, Goran Ivanisevic and Cedric Pioline on
his way to victory.
The Australian, nine years younger than Sampras, has announced himself as a
serious contender for Wimbledon where he was beaten by Boris Becker in the
third round last year.
``I got off to good start and that's the best I've ever returned.
``It was fantastic. Not to drop a set (all tournament) is great preparation
going into Wimbledon. I was seeing the ball out there like a football.''
Sampras struggled on his forehand and had no answer as Hewitt out-aced him
nine to five and produced some wonderful service return winners.
SAMPRAS OUTPLAYED
It was Hewitt's fourth ATP title of the year, his sixth in all, and gave him
revenge for his three-set loss against Sampras, whom he had never previously
beaten, in the Queen's semifinals last year.
Sampras, seeded two, admitted: ``He pretty much outplayed me. He's probably
the best mover we've got in the game today and his serve has improved.''
The American said Hewitt would definitely be a threat at Wimbledon, which
starts a week on Monday.
``At Wimbledon the courts will be a little softer and slow, but he's
definitely a contender.''
Hewitt, his face smeared with sunblock, started nervously with a double-fault
in his first service game, which he lost.
But he immediately broke back and then captured the Sampras serve again for
3-2 with a stunning cross court backhand.
Sampras was struggling on his forehand and Hewitt's fierce service returns
repeatedly troubled him.
Hewitt wrapped up the first set after 34 minutes with a strong first serve
that Sampras netted.
The American, six times the year-end world number one, seemed ill at ease and
when a broken racket string distracted him at 30-30, 1-1 in the second set,
Sampras double-faulted.
He then could only stand and watch as Hewitt crashed another two-fisted
backhand down the line to break for the second time in the match.
HELD NERVE
The American tried to respond, but Hewitt held his nerve.
He summed up a magical performance by leaping full-length for an impossible
looking half-volley to win the opening point as he served for the match at
5-4.
Sampras duly surrendered on Hewitt's first match point by putting a backhand
out and the Australian celebrated another title to go with those won in
Adelaide, Sydney and Scottsdale.
Hewitt said he had refused to let Sampras's reputation intimidate him.
``I just had to block that out and make out I was playing another person,''
he said.
``It gives a lot of confidence going into Wimbledon. I could not be hitting
the ball much better.
``I feel more comfortable on the grass every time I play.''
Sampras, left somewhat embarrassed after vowing on Friday to ``send a
message'' to Hewitt, whom he described as ``the future of the game,'' said
that despite the loss he felt his preparations for Wimbledon were on course.
``It's been a good week, I played pretty well, got a lot of games under my
belt. I look on it as a positive week. I'm where I want to be.''
History strengthens his case.
Sampras, who has won Wimbledon twice after winning at Queen's, will take
consolation from the fact that the only previous time he lost in the Queen's
final -- in 1994 -- he still went on to lift the All England Club crown.
END

HEWITT DOWNS SAMPRAS FOR FIRST GRASS TITLE
By Louise Robson (SportCentral)
LONDON, June 18 AAP - Lleyton Hewitt took his first ever grass-court tennis
title today with a win over the world's No.1 on grass, Pete Sampras.
Sampras, who dubbed Hewitt "the future of the game" only a day earlier, was
quickly proved right by the man nine years his junior.
Sixth seed Hewitt beat the second seed 6-4 6-4 to win $US91,500 ($A153,3000)
at the Queen's Club championship.
With London baking in an unaccustomed 28 degrees, Sampras took an early 2-0
lead, winning the opening game to love and breaking Hewitt in the next.
But the 19-year-old Australian reversed the champion's early lead to go 3-2
up and held his serve to win the opening set.
Hewitt had Sampras on the ropes again early in the second and pumped himself
up to take a 3-1 lead, closing out the match with a spectacular Boris Becker
dive and his ninth ace to Sampras's five.
It was Hewitt's sixth ATP title and his fourth of the year after Adelaide,
Sydney and Scottsdale.
He became the third Australian champion at this traditional Wimbledon warm-up
following Mark Philippoussis in 1997 and Scott Draper in 1998.
"It's unbelievable," he said.
"It's fantastic to win this tournament."
"It's a little bit of a dream come true to be out there playing a guy that
I've looked up to for so many years and have so much respect for.
"To have won in straight sets in the final of a great event here at Queen's
is a dream and to have played that well as well under some pretty big
pressure going out there as a 19-year-old playing this guy who looks pretty
invincible on a grass court."
Hewitt said the centre court had played faster than his previous matches and
took him by surprise.
"I got off to a bit of a rough start but it's the best I've ever returned."
Hewitt did not drop a set as he advanced through Queen's this week, beating
David Wheaton, Goran Ivanisevic and Cedric Pioline 6-4 6-4 and, in Saturday's
semi-final, veteran Gianluca Pozzi 6-1 6-4.
Sampras said Hewitt improved each time he played him, and tipped him to be a
strong contender at Wimbledon in two weeks.
"Every time I've played him I've seen an improvement in his game," Sampras
said.
"He can use the court to his advantage.
"He's 19 so he's just going to get more experienced as the years go on."
Hewitt said today was one of the best of his six title wins to date.
"It's definitely up there, there's not many guys play better than Pete.
"It's very hard to go past this one -- it's a pretty big event and to be
playing such a classy player as well in the finals."
END

HEWITT CRUSHES IVANISEVIC 16 June 2000 
Leo Schlink The Daily Telegraph

Lleyton Hewitt yesterday clinically dismantled Goran Ivanisevic's crashing serve to power into the Queens Club quarterfinals with another convincing grasscourt display.
Pitted against the world's most destructive server, Hewitt peeled off a regulation 6-4 6-4 triumph to reach the last eight where he will confront either Frenchman Cedric Pioline or American Justin Gimelstob.
Hewitt soaked up everything triple Wimbledon runner-up and former world No2 Ivanisevic could through at the South Australian.
The lanky left-handed Croatian unleashed 17 aces and innumerable service thunderbolts, but Hewitt refused to lose faith in a return which is only marginally inferior to that of Andre Agassi.
The Adelaide 19 year old tormented Ivanisevic with a string of cleverly disguised lobs and , though not serving with enormous conviction, did not drop serve.
He broke serve in the third game and threatened to do so again two games later when he stranded Ivanisevic with brilliant lobbing.
Distracted by an overrule on set point - Hewitt snarled "good timing" to the umpire - before venting more more anger on a double fault with the comment "good serving, bitch."
It was merely a temporary lapse for the remarkable baseliner, who systematically scorched away from one of the sport's leading grasscourters in an ominous Wimbledon foretaste.

END   

HE COMES FROM A LAND DOWN UNDER
Nyree Epplett 
Saturday, June 3, 2000

"I'm not afraid at all, of anything," boasts the brash 19-year-old with the
pigtail and the back-to-front cap to the wad of awaiting media.
"I enjoy being out there, being the center of attention," he says,
matter-of-factly. No doubt about it, the very-confident Lleyton Hewitt can
certainly 'talk the talk'.
"I'm looking at,.. in two or three or four years down the track,..holding the
trophy up at this tournament," continues the Aussie after his easy third
round victory over Hungarian qualifier Attila Savolt 6-1 6-4 6-0 on Court One
on Saturday.
"Before today, I didn't even know what he (Savolt) looked like. I'd seen the
name around the Challengers, but that's about it."
The effortless victory, coming in one hour, 37 minutes, was the simplest so
far at Roland Garros for the boy from Adelaide, South Australia, competing in
only his second French Open. His second round win over the 60-ranked German
Markus Hantschk came in a grueling five sets, and American Jeff Tarango had
extended the youngster to two tiebreaks in their first round encounter.
Saturday's win propelled Hewitt, the ninth seed here, into his second Grand
Slam fourth round for the year, the farthest he has ever progressed in just
two full years of Grand Slam competition.
Which begs the question from Australian tennis fans: "Can Lleyton Hewitt
'walk the walk'?"
Can the gritty teenager with the colossal baseline game and the renowned
penchant for fist-pumping his way through all of his matches, take the next
vital steps into the upper echelons of Grand Slam glory?
Touted as the next big thing in Aussie tennis since Philippoussis and Rafter
hit the courts, Hewitt first came to prominence in 1998, when, as a cocky
16-year-old ranked 550 in the world, he captured his hometown title, becoming
the youngest Tour winner since Michael Chang in 1988 and the lowest ranked
winner in Tour history.
Hewitt's Grand Slam tournament results have improved steadily ever since. He
reached the third round at 1999 Wimbledon and US Open and rode the wave of a
13-match winning streak into the 2000 Australian Open, where he gracefully
bowed out in the round of 16 to current No1 Magnus Norman.
This year Hewitt answered the critics (including the Australian public) who
had labeled him 'too cocky for his own good' following a couple of
temperamental outbursts in Adelaide. The sometimes hot-headed Hewitt, had
retorted by calling 'Australian fans stupid', but has since gone on to prove
himself by winning a tour-best three singles titles (Adelaide, Sydney and
Scottsdale) in 2000. He entered Roland Garros with a win-loss record of 33-7.
Hewitt refuses to apologize for his on-court antics: "That's in me, and that
is the reason why I play my best tennis."
On clay, he's posted wins over Thomas Enqvist and Mark Philippoussis and
reached the semi finals in Rome a few weeks ago - results that still continue
astound the ninth seed.
"I am pinching myself a little bit. A few people expect you to get through
because you're a seed, but deep down....This is an unbelievable feeling. It's
more special than the Australian (Open).
"It was only three or four years ago that I was sitting up late at night
watching these guys compete here and wishing I could be there. I have
memories of Courier, Bruguera, very vague memories. And I watched tapes of
Edberg and Chang and the Chang-Lendl match, when Chang was only seventeen."
"Anything that comes from here on in is a bonus. I've still got a lot of
learning to do on clay, but I've gained so much experience these past four
weeks," said Hewitt, who joins compatriot Mark Philippoussis in the fourth
round.
And as much as he would probably like to, Hewitt can ill afford to look too
far ahead in his half of the men's singles draw. The early exit of defending
champion Andre Agassi now presents the Aussie with a wonderful opportunity to
progress to the semi final.
For the moment he will concentrate his efforts on his next opponent, the
seasoned claycourter Albert Costa, who the youngster last encountered two
weeks ago in the World Team Cup (Costa retired injured while trailing 1-4 in
the first set).
Costa upset seventh seed Thomas Enqvist late Saturday 5-7 7-6 6-1 3-6 6-4.

END

FAST-RISING HEWITT EXCITED BY OPEN PROSPECTS 29 May 2000 
By Winsor Dobbin  - The Daily Telegraph

PARIS, May 27 AFP - This time 12 months ago, Lleyton Hewitt was just another promising tennis player. Going into the 2000 French Open, he's a legitimate title threat.
The 19-year-old Australian baseliner has made huge strides since the start of the year and will be the ninth seed when the tournament starts at Roland Garros on Monday.
With three titles already under his belt this year - and a semi-final appearance on clay in the Rome Masters Series event - Hewitt has one of the most impressive records on the ATP Tour. He faces the talented but erratic American Jeff Tarango in his opening-round match on the slow red clay. 
"This is a very exciting tournament for me as it is the first time I have been seeded at a Grand Slam," Hewitt said. "I haven't got a bad draw and I don't have to worry about defending points and so I'm feeling cautiously relaxed.
"Tarango is a player who can pull out the most surprising of shots, so I'm not taking anything for granted, though. "I'm just going to take things one match at a time." 
With a possible fourth-round meeting with defending champion Andre Agassi looming, that is probably just as well.
Hewitt has the grooved groundstrokes and sheer bloody-mindedness needed to thrive on the slow courts of Roland Garros - but a lack of experience could be his Achilles heel. He made his first appearance here last year - and lost in the first round. 
Hewitt, whose game is characterised by the tenacity one would expect from a former Australian Rules footballer, first burst to prominence as a 16-year-old schoolboy - winning the ATP Tour event in his home town of Adelaide in 1998.
Since then his progress has been meteoric. He was a key member of the Australian team that won the 1999 Davis Cup title and he began the new millennium in inspired from, winning 13 straight matches as he took out titles in Adelaide and Sydney. 
His subsequent title in Scottsdale, Arizona, made him the only man this year with three titles to his name - and he has never dropped from the leader board since the new Champions Race began in January. 
He is one of seven Australians in the main draw - underlining that country's strength in depth. 
Of the other Australians, Mark Philippoussis has the toughest first-round task against second-seeded Pete Sampras.
Jason Stoltenberg faces Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic, while in-form Andrew Ilie meets Guillaume Raoux of France. 
Two-time US Open champion Pat Rafter is unseeded as he returns from a shoulder injury and he faces Italian Gianluca Pozzi. Wayne Arthurs meets Swiss teen Roger Federer and Richard Fromberg is drawn against Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean.
END

 
Lleyton Hewitt: A Growing Threat 29 May 2000 
BY LINDA PEARCE, Paris (From SportsToday)

ROLAND Garros, 1999, was not the scene of one of Lleyton Hewitt's finer
moments. The young South Australian, on his senior French Open debut, lost in
five sets to Argentinian veteran Martin Rodriguez. He lost his composure,
earning a warning for verbal abuse. By many accounts, he lost the plot.
When Hewitt returns to Paris this week it will be with a heady past year of
experience on which to draw. In 12 months, he has won three tournaments and
burst into the top 10 as the most exciting prospect in the men's game. He has
blasted the so-called "stupidity'' of the Australian tennis public before
apologising for his ridiculous rant. He has helped to win both a Davis Cup
and one national magazine's reader-voted gong for the sportsman least admired.
At 19, he is also the highest-ranked Australian, under the old entry system
and as a top-five pacesetter in the ATP Tour's inaugural points race. His
media accessibility may now be minimal, with all recent interview requests
declined through his management group, Octagon, but Hewitt's results mean his
chances of advancing deep into a grand slam field are speaking for themselves.
He arrives at Roland Garros as the only seeded Australian, at No.9. Returning
from a lengthy rest and illness break, his lead-up results have been
promising, highlighted by an Italian Open semi-final and then a straight sets
defeat of compatriot Mark Philippoussis in Hamburg. At last week's World Team
Cup, a thrashing by Yevgeny Kafelnikov followed injury defaults by Albert
Costa and Marcelo Rios, when both were trailing late in the first set.
Despite a comprehensive loss to "race'' leader Magnus Norman in Rome, the
slow dirt of continental Europe appears to suit the Hewitt game. His
experience is limited: just a handful of tournaments before last year's
ill-fated Roland Garros visit, a pair of indoor losses in the Davis Cup final
and the three outings so far in 2000. But with mental strength and the desire
to run down every ball two keys to his developing game, he should prove a
relentless five-set foe at the most grueling slam of all.
Hewitt is often described as a little bit Andre Agassi, part Michael Chang,
and a dash of the famously combative Jimmy Connors. However accurate the
comparisons, his list of admirers continues to grow. Nick Bollettieri
considers him a welcome exception to the modern rule that bigger is usually
better. Just as the diminutive Chang was an anomaly when he won the 1989
French Open, so the wiry Hewitt is considered something of a "throwback''.
"He has a world-class quickness, powerful, grinding groundstrokes or heavy
topspin; he possesses a gritty determination to win and an incredibly logical
strategy to beat his taller, harder-hitting opponents,'' Bollettieri says.
"He hits deep and hard and challenges his opponents by running them side to
side. On the occasions that they do come to the net, he makes them hit low
volleys. But, every once in a while, he conceals a topspin lob in his bag of
magic groundstrokes and robs his gargantuan rival of all confidence.''
The intangible, according to Bollettieri, is his pure hatred of losing.
Hewitt admits that, into his third full year on the senior circuit, everyone
knows his game, and the fact he's "going to be running all afternoon or all
night. I'm not giving up very many cheap points''. Yet, clearly, knowing the
Hewitt plan is one thing; foiling it is another.
Endurance is a big factor, and the sandhills of Adelaide's beaches have
soaked up many litres of Hewitt sweat. When back training near his beloved
AFL Crows, driving his flashy BMW and living at the family home in West Lakes
with his parents Glynn (a former Richmond footballer), mother Sherilyn (once
a state netballer) and younger sister Jaslyn (an Australian junior tennis
representative), Hewitt heads to the dunes two or three times a week. The
pain sets in about halfway around the first lap, but the benefits are worth
the discomfort. On court, Hewitt may be outplayed, but he will rarely be
outrun.
Nor is the proud owner of all five Rocky videos - "Eye of the Tiger'' is a
favorite warm-up tune - likely to be outpsyched. As his Davis Cup debut last
year in Boston against the experienced Todd Martin demonstrated, the bigger
the occasion, the better Hewitt likes it. If there are nerves, Martin
observed, he shows few signs.
Understandably, perhaps, for there has been little to fear so far. Last
year's rise was rapid enough - history's third-youngest male tournament
winner, he ended 1999 as the youngest top 25 player since Andrei Medvedev in
1992 - but this year's advance has been astonishing, nominated by no less
than Pete Sampras as the surprise of the year so far.
It started with 13 straight victories and titles in Adelaide and Sydney
before Norman ended his Melbourne Park run in the fourth round. It continued
in the US with a triumph at Scottsdale and the Tour's best record until his
extended break from early April until the Italian Open three weeks ago.
Coach Darren Cahill believes the improvement has been broad. "He's growing.
He's just a young kid who's learning all the time and he's becoming harder on
the tennis court and learning from his mistakes. It's just the natural
evolution of his game,'' says Cahill of the protege he calls 'Rusty'.
"He's just becoming a bit stronger and a bit heavier off the ground. He's
coming to the net a little bit more often when he needs to and his serve is
obviously getting a little bit stronger and he's winning a few more free
points from it.''
Singles success is the aim, but doubles has proved a useful recent tool in
Cahill's fine-tuning of the Hewitt game. This year he has partnered the likes
of Sandon Stolle, Mark Woodforde and Patrick Rafter at various times and
considers it beneficial to his net game, tactical development and
self-discipline.
In French Open terms, it has been a different lead-up all round. Last year,
Hewitt failed to earn main draw entry in Rome, missed the World Team Cup and
decided to bypass several other preparatory events on clay in favor of a
week's practice at Roland Garros with Scott Draper and Jason Stoltenberg.
This year, a sinus problem forced him to miss the prestigious Monte Carlo
Masters and two other tournaments, but the lost time has been satisfactorily
covered to the point where he considers clay as potentially his strongest
surface, even if the superior results so far have come on hardcourt.
"I think the public get an eye of clay court players standing back behind the
baseline and grinding, and it's not actually like that,'' Hewitt has said,
likening it to the Rebound Ace on which he has enjoyed such success at home.
"To win matches ... you've actually got to stand on the baseline or just
inside and try and go for the winner, taking that other hand off the racquet
and getting the slice and sitting on the net ready to put the easy volley
away.''
None of that is beyond Hewitt, who makes up for much of what he lacks in
power and instinctive volleying with court coverage, competitiveness and
sheer will. Commentator John Alexander is among those who believe that only
Andre Agassi (who Hewitt is drawn to meet in the quarter-finals) and Pete
Sampras should hold any fears for the young South Australian, and while
Agassi has been troubled by injuries, Sampras has traditionally been on clay
what the Spanish baseliners are on grass: no real threat.
So the door of opportunity could be creaking open for Hewitt, earlier than
expected and only a year after a teenage tantrum marked his first-round exit
from a tournament that may in time represent his best chance of a winning a
grand slam title.
Hewitt has admitted he is beginning to love clay. Over the coming fortnight,
expect it to at least provide a finer Roland Garros moment than he has
enjoyed here so far. END