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Double the Fun
by J. Fred Sidhu (The U.S. Open Site)
Wednesday, September 6, 2000

Australian Lleyton Hewitt, who has never played in a Grand Slam semifinal,
finds himself in two thanks to a successful Wednesday. He teamed with Max
Mirnyi to reach the doubles semifinals hours after beating Arnaud Clement to
become the first men's single semifinalist. They defeated the seventh seeds,
Sebastien Lareau and Daniel Nestor of Canada, 7-6 (5), 6-4 in Louis Armstrong
Stadium. In a tight first set, Lareau and Nestor took leads of 3-0 and 4-2 in
the tiebreaker, but could not hold the lead as Hewitt and Mirnyi came back to
win the first set. In the second set, Hewitt and Mirnyi quickly broke Lareau
in the first game. That was all they needed to secure the match in one hour
and 12 minutes.

Match Facts
· Hewitt and Mirnyi upset No. 1 seeded Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde in
the second round. It was the Woodies last career Grand Slam together.
· The last man to win both the US Open men's singles and doubles titles in
the same year was John McEnroe in 1981.
· This year at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Mirnyi played with Nenad Zimonjic
of Yugoslavia. They were eliminated in the first round in both appearances.
· Hewitt played men's doubles at Roland Garros with countryman Patrick
Rafter. They were defeated in the second round.
· Mirnyi teamed with Serena Williams to win the 1998 Wimbledon and US Open
mixed doubles titles.
· Lareau won last year's US Open men's doubles title with Alex O'Brien.
· Lareau and Nestor reached the quarterfinals in men's doubles at this year's
Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
· Lareau and Nestor will represent Canada in the Sydney Olympics in
Australia.
· Hewitt and Mirnyi will face the third seed team of Alex O'Brien and Jared
Palmer of the United States in the semifinals.

Hewitt storms into U.S. Open semifinals
By Bill Berkrot

NEW YORK, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Fiercely competitive Australian teenager Lleyton
Hewitt stormed into the semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships with
yet another straight sets victory, halting the run of giant killer Arnaud
Clement on Wednesday.

In a clash of first-time Grand Slam quarterfinalists, the fiery 19-year-old
ninth seed seized control of the match from the outset and cruised to a 6-2
6-4 6-3 victory over the 22-year-old Frenchman, who had sent shock waves
through the Open with his stunning second-round upset of top seed and 1999
champion Andre Agassi.

Hewitt lost his very first set of the tournament and has not dropped a set
since, posting his fourth successive straight sets win on Wednesday in a run
that included a swift dismissal of seventh seed Thomas Enqvist in the round
of 16.

``I've been mentally tough out there early in the first couple of games, try
and get the early break and get the first set under my belt,'' Hewitt said of
a strategy he has employed with increasing success. ``I've definitely been
hitting the ball a lot better with each match that I've played.''

YOUNGEST SEMIFINALIST SINCE SAMPRAS

With his victory over Clement, Hewitt became the youngest U.S. Open
semifinalist since none other than Pete Sampras, who reached the final four
at 19 in 1990 on the way to the first of his record 13 Grand Slam titles.

Hewitt could well run into the four-time champion on ``Super Saturday'' at
the U.S. Open. Sampras was playing Dutchman Richard Krajicek in a Wednesday
night quarterfinal.

``Both of those guys are Grand Slam winners. I'm going to have to return very
well with whoever I'm playing,'' said the speedy baseliner, who will face a
huge serve no matter who wins the night match.

Hewitt, the only man still in contention in both singles and doubles here,
won the last of his four 2000 titles by upsetting Sampras on grass at Queen's
Club. But he knows if he comes up against Sampras on Saturday that result
will not mean much.

``Obviously, he's a totally different player in Grand Slams,'' Hewitt said.

``Pete's a great player and he can lift his game at any moment. If I do
happen to have to play Pete, I'm probably going to have to go up another gear
as well.''

The ninth seed's game is already at a very high level.

He thoroughly dominated Clement, a player who had reached three hardcourt
semifinals this summer before playing the match of his life against Agassi
last week.

CAREER-HIGH ACES

Not known for a big serve, Hewitt launched a career-high 18 aces against
Clement, including consecutive aces to close out the first set and three in
his final service game of the match to go up 5-3 before easily breaking
Clement for the sixth and final time of the day.

Playing in bright sunshine on another unseasonably cool autumn-like day,
Clement, wearing wraparound sunglasses, had protection from the glare but not
from the sizzling groundstrokes Hewitt consistently unleashed from both
wings.

The 37th-ranked Clement also failed to duplicate the precision he displayed
against Agassi, spraying 42 unforced errors around the court.

``I play so bad,'' moaned Clement. ``I was sleeping the first two sets.''

Clement managed to break Hewitt once in the match to put the second set back
on serve at 2-2. But the ninth seed broke the Frenchman in the seventh game
to go up 4-3 and never really gave Clement another chance to get back into
the match.

``As soon as I got in the top 10, I think I really started to believe there I
should be there,'' Hewitt said.

The rest of the players are starting to believe it too.

Hewitt Arrives With a Bang by Bud Collins (excerpt)

NEW YORK, Sept. 6 — Two blonde teens crashed the U.S. Open party on Wednesday and raced into their first Grand Slam semifinals, when the “Boy Bomb,” Lleyton Hewitt, and the “Anti-Anna,” Elena Dementieva, won their matches with the headiness of grizzled veterans.
But Hewitt, the son of a former Aussie Rules football player (dad) and Net Ball competitor (mom), likes to chat about his progress from a wet-behind-the-ears baseliner to a smart all-courter.
With his victory over Arnaud Clement, the ponytailed Hewitt became the youngest semifinalist at the Open since Pete Sampras won his first Grand Slam title in ’90.
“If you would have told me 18 months ago that I would do this by age 19, I would have definitely thought you were joking,” said Hewitt. “But now I believe I can match up with these guys. As soon as I got in the top 10, I really started to think I could play with these guys. I want to cement my spot in the top 10.”
Hewitt still needs to work on his relations with the Aussie media, who he will not talk to privately. A couple years ago, Hewitt was playing in his hometown of Adelaide against another local kid and the crowd rode him for too much fist-pumping. After the match, he called the fans a bunch of idiots.
After he was widely criticized for his remarks, he decided not to talk to the Aussie media in private, a ban that still stands.
I’m hoping his mentor and countryman, Patrick Rafter, turns him around on this issue, because the kid has a lot to offer.

A feisty bloke with excellent speed, hands, and a willingness to charge the net due to his Down Under breeding, the 5-foot-11 Hewitt had an excellent day serving against Clement, cracking 18 aces.

STARTING TO RISE
Hewitt came of age in July of ’99, when he beat Todd Martin in the opening match of Australia’s Davis Cup upset of the U.S. in Boston. He has snared four titles this year, but lost in the fourth round of both the Australian and French Opens and in the first round at Wimbledon. He didn’t expect to steamroll the field at the Open.
“I didn’t come here to win it,” he said. “I’ve really been taking it one match at a time. It would have been a bit stupid for me to come out and say ‘I’m going to win the tournament’ when I haven’t made the quarters of a Grand Slam yet. That’s not realistic coming here and saying I’m going to knock off Agassi, Sampras, Krajicek, all these great champions. I definitely gave myself a chance of making the second week, knowing these courts do suit my game. But it was been a bonus to make the semis.”
If Hewitt manages to play up to his capabilities on Super Saturday, this return-of-serve extraordinare will give either Pete Sampras or Richard Krajicek all they can handle. He’ll go right at them.
“I’m hitting the ball well at the moment,” he said. “Apart from the first set of the tournament, I’ve won 15 sets now on the trot. Anyone through to the semifinals feels they’re hitting the ball well and giving themselves a chance.”

U.S. Open Notebook for Wednesday, September 6
By Dale Brauner
SportsTicker

FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- Youth will be served at this year's U.S. Open.

Australia's Lleyton Hewitt became the youngest man to reach the semifinals at
Flushing Meadows in 10 years with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 victory today over unseeded
Frenchman Arnaud Clement.
At age 19 years, six months, Hewitt is the youngest to advance to the
semifinals here since 1990, when Pete Sampras did it on his way to becoming
the youngest champion at 19 years, 28 days.
Hewitt is the youngest semifinalist at any Grand Slam since the 1993 French
Open, when Andrei Medvedev crashed the final four at 18 years, eight months.
This is Hewitt's best performance at a Grand Slam to date. Twice before he
had reached the fourth round -- at the Australian and French Opens this year.
"I think (my biggest improvement) in one way is believing that I can match it
with a lot of these top players," said Hewitt, who is tied for the lead on
the ATP Tour with four titles. "As soon as I got in the top 10, I think I
really started to believe that I should be there. I want to cement my spot
in the top 10. This is just another step in my career."
In addition, Hewitt later advanced to the doubles semifinals with Max Mirnyi
of Belarus as the duo posted a straight-sets win over the seventh-seeded team
of Sebastien Lareau and Daniel Nestor.
The last player to win both titles at the U.S. Open was John McEnroe in 1981.
The last man to double at any Grand Slam was Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who captured
the singles and doubles crowns at Roland Garros in 1996.
"I didn't come here to win (the title)," Hewitt said
. "I really have been taking it one match at a time, not looking past the guy
I've been playing. It would probably be a bit stupid of me to come out and
say, `I'm going to win the tournament' when I haven't made the quarterfinals
of a Grand Slam going into the event." ...

Youth is served as Hewitt makes Open semis
By HAL BOCK
.c The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - Wearing his baseball cap backward, Lleyton Hewitt marched
straight ahead into the semifinals of the U.S. Open on Wednesday, defeating
Arnaud Clement 6-2, 6-4, 6-3.

The 19-year-old Australian became the youngest male semifinalist at the U.S.
Open since Pete Sampras won his first Grand Slam title in 1990.

Hewitt rode a big serve that produced 18 aces and kept Clement off balance
all match. Clement had turned heads early in the tournament when he knocked
off the defending champion and No. 1 seed, Andre Agassi.

After that, the 22-year-old Frenchman played a pair of four-setters and did
not seem to have the stamina for Hewitt, who shares the tour lead this year
with four tournament victories.

Hewitt came into the Open seeded No. 9 and became the youngest Grand Slam
semifinalist since Andrei Medvedev made it to the final four at the French
Open in 1993 at 18.

He started the season with a 13-match winning streak that included victories
at Adelaide and Sydney. He also won at Scottsdale and Queens with three of
his four titles on hard courts - the same surface as the Open.

Hewitt reached the round of 16 at both the Australian and French Opens but
was knocked off in the first round at Wimbledon by American Jan-Michael
Gambill.

Seeded for the first time at the Open, he found his game again and has been
on a roll in the season's final Grand Slam.

``I was hitting the ball a lot better going into Wimbledon than I was going
into the U.S. Open,'' Hewitt said.

Still, he has fared better on the hard courts of the National Tennis Center
than he did on the grass of the All England Club.

He sees the Open as a chance to prove himself against the tour's better
players.

``Obviously, I'm going to have a few nerves - semifinals of a Grand Slam,''
he said. ``I want to put on a show.''

Hewitt approached the Open without any grandiose expectations.

``It would be stupid for me to come out and say I'm going to win the
tournament when I've never been to a Grand Slam quarterfinal,'' he said. ``I
gave myself a chance. These courts do suit my game.''

And now he is looking at the tournament a lot more positively.

``I'm hitting the ball well at the moment,'' he said. ``Anyone through to the
semifinals feels they're hitting the ball well and giving themselves a
chance.''

And that includes Hewitt.

TEN: HEWITT THROUGH TO SEMIS
By Trevor Marshallsea (SportCentral)

NEW YORK, Sept 6 AAP - Australia's Lleyton Hewitt is through to his first
grand slam semi-final after scoring an emphatic straight sets win over
Frenchman Anaud Clement in their quarter-final at the US Open today.

Hewitt, the ninth seed, continued the rate of improvement which had lifted
him through his first four matches, beating Clement 6-2 6-4 6-3 on centre
court, wrapping it up in seven minutes short of two hours.

It was the South Australian's fourth successive straight sets win and he will
now go into Saturday's semi-final against the winner of tonight's
quarter-final between fourth seed Pete Sampras and the unseeded Richard
Krajicek of the Netherlands.

At 19 years and six months, Hewitt also becomes the youngest man through to a
semi at the tournament since Sampras, who was 19 years and 28 days when he
won the tournament in 1990.

The South Australian has played Sampras four times and lost three, but his
win came at their last meeting, on the grascourts at Queens, in June.

He has not previously played Krajicek, who is a three-time quarter-finalist
here.

Hewitt also emulates his coach Darren Cahill, who made the semis here in
1988, losing to eventual champion Mats Wilander, ironically the man upon whom
Hewitt has modelled his own game.

"Darren has always had a go at me, saying I hadn't made a semi at a slam, so
it's nice to make a semi here where Darren made his as well," said Hewitt,
wholly satisfied with his drubbing of Clement, who had upset top seed Andre
Agassi in the second round.

"It was very tough out there and I knew he'd played a lot of tennis. I had to
be consistent from the start."

Cahill had said coming into the tournament that Hewitt's biggest problem was
the psychological difficulties of recently going from being "the hunter to
the hunted", given his recent boost to the top 10.

He appeared to struggle with that in the first round, in a tough four-set win
over Swede Andreas Vinciguerra, but soon grew into his role as the tournament
wore on, and has now won 15 sets in a row.

Today, despite playing in his first grand slam quarter final, he looked
eminently comfortable in brilliant, sunny conditions on centre court.

Clement, 22 and ranked 37th to Hewitt's nine, made the more nervous start,
dropping his second and third service games to gift Hewitt the first set.

Clement was then broken again in the first game of the second set, but broke
back to draw level at 2-2.

But the pacey Hewitt broke again for a 4-3 lead and served strongly from
there for the set.

Some tension appeared to creep into Hewitt's game during the third set. As
Clement engaged him in long rallies, he went down a break point at 2-3, but a
backhand winner and a serve-and-volley point got him out of it.

Clearly relieved, he broke Clement in the next game and was untroubled from
there.

Hewitt ended up with 18 aces - a career high - to only three for Clement,
while he kept his errors down to 23 compared to 42 for the Frenchman.

Hewitt also struck 34 winners to Clement's 20, while winning 79 per cent of
points on his first serve, compared to only 56 per cent for his opponent.

Teenage Hewitt shows his class in beating Clement
By Sports.com's OLIVER BRETT
September 6, 2000

Lleyton Hewitt, the Australian teenager of whom big things are expected,
became the youngest men's semi-finalist at the US Open since Pete Sampras in
1990 when he destroyed Andre Agassi's conqueror Arnaud Clement 6-2, 6-4, 6-3.

Ninth seed Hewitt will probably play either Sampras or Dutchman Richard
Krajicek after his controlled power game was too much for the unseeded
Frenchman.

Clement was never in the first set, as Hewitt, whose game is surely at its
best on the hardcourt surfaces, produced a range of groundstrokes that would
have been too much for most players in the world.

However, the 19-year-old from Adelaide then switched off momentarily at the
start of the second set and lost the first two games, before once again
turning on the heat against the Frenchman.

Clement realised his best tactic was to come to the net as much as possible
to close down the angles for Hewitt's favoured cross-court winners.

But that strategy only worked in patches as Hewitt began to find his perfect
rhythm - keeping rallies going on until he felt he had found the right moment
to win the point.

Often appearing furious with himself for missing perceived winners, Hewitt
drove himself on throughout the last two sets, holding serve in the sixth
game of the third with a booming cross-court backhand winner for 3-3.

He broke Clement in the following game with two big off forehands, and
weathered a crisis at 0-30 down on serve in the next, when aces number 17 and
18 took him to 5-3 up.

The Frenchman's will had now deserted him as he lost the following game, and
with it the match.

END--http://sl.sports.com/tennis/

MATCH REPORT: Hewitt In Final Four
by Rob Heenan (The U.S. Open Site)
Wednesday, September 6, 2000

Australian sensation and No. 9 seed Lleyton Hewitt advanced to his first
Grand Slam semifinal by knocking off France's Arnaud Clement Wednesday
afternoon in Arthur Ashe Stadium. At 19 years, six months, Hewitt is the
youngest semifinalist at the US Open since Pete Sampras in 1990. Hewitt had
never previously advanced past the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament.
The 2000 US Open is only Hewitt's 10th Grand Slam event and he has been
seeded in the past three.

Match Facts
· The only set Hewitt has lost in the tournament was the first set he played
to Andreas Vinciguerra.
· Clement made 42 unforced errors to Hewitt's 23.
· Hewitt improved his record against Clement to 2-0.
· Clement defeated world No. 1 Andre Agassi in the second round.
· This was Clement's first appearance in a Grand Slam quarterfinal.
· Both players will be in Sydney later this month for the Olympics.
· Clement had never previously advanced past the fourth round at a Grand Slam
event.
· Match time was 1:53.
· Next up for Hewitt will be the winner of the Sampras-Krajick match.

END--www.usopen.org/news/

Hewitt knocks over Enqvist in straight sets for grand slam high 5 September 2000 SportsToday

NEW YORK, Sept 4 AAP - Against a backdrop of empty, towering stands at cold
and windy Flushing Meadows, Lleyton Hewitt reached the highest plane of his
grand slam tennis career by making the US Open quarter-finals tonight.
Hewitt improved, as he has done at each stage, to humble Thomas Enqvist 6-3
6-2 6-4 in the fourth round. And the 19-year-old will now start a warm
favourite to move into the semis, with his next opponent not Andre Agassi as
the draw had first suggested, but the man who upset the top seed in the
second round, unseeded Frenchman Arnaud Clement.
Hewitt's win tonight was an upset according to world rankings and seedings -
five and seven respectively for Enqvist, and nine on each count for the
Australian. But coming in the wake of his last-start 6-3 6-3 6-3 defeat of
Jiri Novak, it was another spanking victory to make those left in the draw
accord Hewitt more respect than in any previous grand slam, his likely
semi-final foe Pete Sampras included.
Hewitt outplayed Enqvist, a man seven years his senior, spicing a steady,
low-mistake game with a handful of astounding winners, even a few off a
previously unseen one-handed backhand.
And while he may still pump himself by screaming ``C'mon Rock'' in boyish
adulation of movie boxer Rocky Balboa, he also showed his increasing maturity
by adapting to the cold and swirling wind far better than Enqvist.
Far better, too, than the fans who thronged out of the cavernous centre court
and home to bed, leaving behind them an atmosphere akin to a Sheffield Shield
match at Bellerive Oval in November. It was a less than fitting vibe for the
best moment in Hewitt's in grand slams but afterwards the South Australian
said it mattered little.
``It definitely wasn't the best atmosphere I've played in - (not) like a
packed house in the Davis Cup,'' said Hewitt, a member of Australia's Cup
final winning team last year. ``But I felt like the crowd was on my side and
when I got pumped up they got pumped up with me.''
Of the conditions he said: ``It was a nightmare out there. It felt like I was
in a hurricane ... It was a hard match to say you've hit the ball great out
there. It was not one that, technically, you'd take a lot from, but I do take
a lot of confidence from that match.
``My mental approach was good tonight. I didn't let it (the weather) bother
me. It was a good thing, and I think it was very mature, it's another step in
my career.''
While Enqvist was born and raised near the Arctic circle, and Hewitt learned
his craft in the dry heat of South Australia, the youngster said he did not
fear he would be at a disadvantage, given the fact most of Enqvist's best
results have come indoors.
So it proved as Hewitt kept his unforced errors down to 17 while Enqvist made
32, and while the Australian converted all five break points he had, the
Swede wasted all four of his. Hewitt will now be expected to move past
Clement, a man ranked 28 places below him.
And he beat Clement in three sets at their only previous meeting, on grass in
the first round at Nottingham, England, last year. ``I'm getting more and
more confident with each match but I won't be taking Clement easy at all,''
he said.
``He's obviously playing fantastic at the moment, and you can't underestimate
anyone at the moment at this stage of the tournament.''
``It will probably come down to who handles the occasion better. We're
similar players.'' Enqvist conceded he was outplayed in the conditions. ``It
was tough conditions but it was the same for both of us and he handled it
better than I did,'' said Enqvist, who has won match against Hewitt and lost
four, all this year.
``It's tough to say how far he'll go judging by that match ... but he's a
very tough player. I think he's ready mentally, he certainly has a good game
for it and he has a chance to go all the way here.''

END

Hewitt Sweeps Swede September 4, 2000 By J. Fred Sidhu (The U.S. Open Site)

Ninth-seeded Lleyton Hewitt of Australia advanced to the quarterfinals of a
Grand Slam for the first time in his career as eliminated seventh-seeded
Thomas Enqvist of Sweden, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in a fourth round match in Arthur
Ashe Stadium. Hewitt converted on each of his four break point opportunities
including at 5-4 in the third set during the one-hour and 48 minute match.
Hewitt, playing in only his second US Open, never had his serve broken.
Enqvist equaled his best result at the US Open this year by reaching the
fourth round here for the third time in six appearances.

Match Facts
· Hewitt improves to 6-1 at US Open.
· In Grand Slam matches, Hewitt is now 15-9.
· Hewitt improves to 51-12 this year. He has the second highest win total on
the men's tour.
· At 19 years and six months, Hewitt becomes the youngest player to reach a
Grand Slam quarterfinal since Hendrik Dreekman at 1994 Roland Garros at 19
years and four months. Hewitt is the youngest player left in the US Open
draw.
· Hewitt now leads Enqvist 4-1 in head-to-head meetings. The Australian has
won the last four in a row.
· Hewitt's record on hardcourts this year improves to 31-6.
· Enqvist falls to 12-5 at US Open and 43-27 in Grand Slam matches.
· Enqvist is now 44-18 this year.
· On hard courts this year, Enqvist falls to 32-10.
· Hewitt advances to the US Open quarters for the first time where he will
face France's Arnaud Clement.

END

Hot-foot Hewitt. Pace beats power. 4 September 2000 by Bruce Matthews The Daily Telegraph

FOR a player who paralyses with speed rather than strength, Lleyton Hewitt draws inspiration
from two past grand slam champions as he searches for his own major breakthrough. He has seen
the riches that tennis has delivered to the fleet-of-foot Andre Agassi and, to a lesser degree,
Michael Chang. Hewitt plays the game at a similar tempo and used his high velocity tactics to
bamboozle big Czech Jiri Novak 6-3 6-3 6-3 In the US Open third round to book a shot at his
debut grand slam quarter- final. "I think I've shown that I can play on all surfaces this year.
I take a lot of confidence from watching guys like Andre Agassi and Michael Chang do it in
previous years," the 19-year-old said. "They're around my height, very quick around the court and
they use their strengths to sort of counter-punch or knock down the other guy's big serves." In
this age of brute power, the 179cm, 65kg South Australian relies on a capacity to outrun,
outlast and generally outsmart his opponents. He revelled in the steamy conditions that forced
Moroccan Hicham Arazi to retire with leg and racquet-hand cramps when leading 1-0 in the fifth
set against Frenchman Arnaud Clement in their third round marathon. "Today was the best match
I've played in probably the worst conditions as well," Hewitt said. The teenager was first match
on late in the morning and was safely back in the locker room after 109 minutes. "Obviously,
I'm not 100 per cent. You don't want to be at this stage- I'm into the second week now. Forget
abou the first week." Hewitt said. I'm into the round of 16 an I haven't passed that before.
It's going to be a big stage come Monday."
Hewitt, the world no 9, was hoping Swede Thomas Enqvist and Chilean Marcelos Rios ran each other
ragged in the heat late in the afternoon as they fought to become his fourth round foe.
Should the effusive young Australian complete that asssignment, he would have a winable quarter
final against either Clement, ranked 37, or Romanian Andre Pavel, ranked 35, now that Agassi has
disappeared from that top section of the draw.
"Obviously I've got one of the tougher matches for my round 16 match. I haven't looked past
that," he said. END

Hewitt looks for slam breakthrough 2 September 2000 US Open

NEW YORK, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Teenage Australian hotshot Lleyton Hewitt has
more than lived up to his potential outside of the Grand Slams, but so far,
when it's come time to back up his boasts at the majors, he has fallen short,
never getting beyond the fourth round.

After trouncing Czech Jiri Novak 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in the third round at the U.S.
Open on Saturday, the ponytailed 19-year-old appears ready to make a big step
in a Slam. The gritty all-courter will face either Thomas Enqvist or Marcelo
Rios on Monday in what promises to be a terrific test for the young Hewitt.

He will not be satisfied by merely putting up a good fight.

``I'm not looking at losing at all,'' said Hewitt, the No. 9 seed. ``I
believe I can win. I'm in the second week of a Slam and anything can happen.

``Obviously I'm going to have my work cut out for me with either of those
guys. A lot of what is going to satisfy me is how well I play.''

Hewitt has had a terrific year outside of the Slams, winning a tour-high four
titles. But at the Australian Open in January, he carried a 13-match winning
streak into his fourth round match with Magnus Norman and was thumped in
straight sets.

At 1999 Roland Garros, the super-speedy Hewitt looked comfortable engaging in
long end-to-end rallies on the red clay before being out-muscled by Albert
Costa in the fourth round.

After winning the Wimbledon warm-up at Queens Club over Pete Sampras, Hewitt
entered the All-England Club as one of the favourites, and then was shocked
by Jan-Michael Gambill in the first round. But Hewitt said he won't change
his mental approach.

``I'm taking the same mental approach that I've been taking all week, just
taking one match at a time,'' he said.

Given that he stands 5-foot-10 in what is becoming a game of giants, Hewitt
must use his quickness and counterpunching ability if he is to reach the top.

However, although he admires Andre Agassi, who is a similar height, Hewitt
does not possess the muscular build that Agassi does nor can produce the same
amount of power from the baseline, and therefore must take more risks and
frequently charge the net. Hewitt is a far more accomplished net player than
Agassi, but does not have his patience.

``Quite often I pick the wrong shots to come to net on or go to the wrong
ball to attack off,'' he said. ``That's the sort of thing that comes with
being mature and getting a lot of experience.''