Future looks bright for Hewitt despite rare defeat
By Patrick Vignal

STUTTGART, Germany, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Lleyton Hewitt's impressive run of
form was dented by defeat to Tommy Haas in the Stuttgart Masters Series
semifinals on Saturday but the young Australian still has plenty to look
forward to.

The U.S. Open champion had lined 17 straight victories dating back to his
Grand Slam breakthrough -- a 2001 record -- when German Haas stopped him 3-6
6-4 7-5 with a spirited performance.

"It's been mentally tough," the 20-year-old Australian said of a streak which
saw him crush Pete Sampras in straight sets at the U.S. Open final, help
Australia beat Sweden to reach the Davis Cup final and win his 11th career
title in Tokyo. "I haven't really had a proper break since after Wimbledon,"
he added. "To keep coming up week after week takes its toll." Winning the
Stuttgart title would have enabled Hewitt to capture the lead from Brazil's
Gustavo Kuerten in the Champions Race standings.

But the gritty all-rounder remains in contention to end the year at number
one and has already moved ahead of Andre Agassi into second place.

"It doesn't worry me at all," he said of narrowly missing top spot. "Guga
(Kuerten) was so far ahead coming into this tournament that it didn't enter
my mind."

Kuerten, Hewitt and Agassi are all in with a chance of finishing number one
but with the Brazilian and the American both struggling, as their early exits
in Stuttgart showed, Hewitt is now many observers' favourite.

The battle should be decided at next month's season-ending Masters Cup in
Sydney, where Hewitt will capitalise on the home fans' support.

The end of the year could provide a fitting conclusion to Hewitt's
sensational season as after the Masters Cup, Australia will take on France in
the Davis Cup final, again in Sydney.

That one is Hewitt's big goal.

"If I finish number one, so be it," he said. "But I really came here to work
my game as well as I could to give myself a chance of winning the Davis Cup
at the end of the year.

"Winning a Grand Slam and the Davis Cup in one year would be a pretty good
effort."

Hewitt takes revenge to close in on top spot
By Patrick Vignal

STUTTGART, Germany, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Lleyton Hewitt took revenge on South
African Wayne Ferreira by beating him 6-7 6-3 6-2 on Friday to reach the
semifinals of the Stuttgart Masters Series.

The victory moved the young Australian just two matches away from top spot in
the ATP Champions Race.

Third seed Hewitt, who lost to Ferreira after a five-set thriller in last
year's final here, recovered from a nervous start for his quarter-final
victory.

The U.S. Open champion, now riding a 17-match winning streak dating back to
his Grand Slam breakthrough, will knock Brazil's Gustavo Kuerten off the lead
in the Race standings if he wins the tournament.

The 20-year-old, more than ever a serious contender in the battle to finish
the year at number one, has already done enough to take second place from
American Andre Agassi.

Both Kuerten and Agassi have made early exits from the $2.95 million event,
the eighth of nine Masters Series tournaments and the first one indoors.

The race for number one should be decided at next month's season-ending
Masters Cup in Sydney. Kuerten, Agassi and Hewitt all stand a chance but the
Australian is now many observers' favourite.

LOCAL FAVOURITE
Hewitt goes on to meet local favourite Tommy Haas, who knocked out Britain's
Tim Henman 2-6 6-3 6-4 in the day's last match.

Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov will take on qualifier Max Mirnyi of Belarus in
the other semifinal on Saturday.

Kafelnikov advanced with a fairly straightforward 7-5 6-4 victory over Swede
Thomas Enqvist while Mirnyi extended his impressive run with a shock 6-4 6-2
demolition of troubled former world number one Pete Sampras.

Henman, the seventh seed, relied on his trademark serve and volley game to
take the first set in just 33 minutes but could not resist a brave comeback
from the in-form German.

Henman said: "I think this is one occasion when you've got to say that he
deserved it with the way he played in the second and third sets."

Haas, the 15th seed, who won his third title of the year in Vienna on Sunday,
left Henman in ninth in the Champions Race and facing a struggle to qualify
for the Masters Cup.

But Henman said: "I always felt it was going to boil down to the last
tournament in Paris (starting on October 29) and I still feel the same way.
It's going to be a close-run thing."

The top seven players in the Race standings will go to Sydney with Wimbledon
champion Goran Ivanisevic joining them as a Grand Slam winner.

Hewitt was leading 5-2 in the first set when he wasted two set points in his
match with Ferreira. The South African, eager to make up for a frustrating
season, then broke him to force a tie-break, which he won 7-5.

TOOK CONTROL
But the combative Australian then took control, cruising in the last two sets
courtesy of his aggressive baseline play.

Kafelnikov, who was a finalist in Stuttgart in 1998 but has never won a
Masters Series title, survived two set points before using a late break to
claim the first set.

Enqvist, who has not won a tournament this year, briefly gave the impression
he could fight his way back when a double fault from his opponent enabled him
to level the set at 4-4.

But Kafelnikov broke back immediately and served for the match, sealing
victory after 85 minutes with Enqvist hitting a backhand long on the first
match point.

Mirnyi, who had knocked out Kuerten and Ivanisevic in the previous rounds,
then took care of Sampras.

The powerful 24-year-old had to save six match points on his way to the
quarter-finals but had no frights this time, overpowering the American
throughout a one-sided contest.

Sampras, who has not won a title since Wimbledon last year, said a sore arm
had prevented him for relying on his usually devastating serve.

"I had the dead arm," said the seven-times Wimbledon champion, who hinted he
might bring his miserable season to an end.

"I just couldn't serve. It wasn't fun."

Hewitt wins battle
From our wire services
19oct01

News Interactive

STUTTGART: Lleyton Hewitt has advanced to the quarter-finals of the Masters Series here with a three-set win over plucky Argentine Guillermo Canas.Hewitt lost the first set and had to fight hard in the third before prevailing 3-6 6-1 6-4 in a match lasting 2hrs 7mins.The win stretches Hewitt's unbeaten run to 16 matches and leaves the US Open champion in the hunt to secure top spot in the ATP Champions Race this week.The in-form 20-year-old is the highest remaining seed in Stuttgart and will go world No.1 if he wins the $5.81m indoor event.Third-seeded Hewitt next plays Wayne Ferreira in a rematch of last year's epic final in which the South African won in five sets.

Kuerten says wait and see on Hewitt
By Greg Buckle

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - ATP Champions race leader Gustavo Kuerten has praised U.S. Open champion Lleyton Hewitt but showed less confidence than Pete Sampras in Hewitt's ability to dominate world tennis.
Australia's Hewitt, Brazil's Kuerten and American Andre Agassi are locked in a three-way battle to end the season as number one in a contest that could be settled at the Masters Cup in Sydney next month.
Top seed Kuerten and second seed Agassi both lost in the second round this week at the Stuttgart Masters Series tournament while Hewitt advanced to the third round and moved into second place in the Champions Race, overtaking Agassi.
Victory in the tournament this week would give 20-year-old Hewitt a winning streak of 19 matches and top spot in the Champions Race.
"Maybe this week he can overcome my lead and that's something I can do nothing about," Kuerten said in a telephone conference call with Australian media.
"I just have to wait for my next tournament (Davidoff Swiss Indoors in Basel).
"Winning every match in the last month is quite amazing.
"I'm happy a young guy like him can have this feeling."
TOUGH TASK
Kuerten said it would be tough for a player like Hewitt to maintain such great form season after season, playing 11 months a year.
"I've got to say that you just have to wait and see," Kuerten said.
"You have to play many matches, year after year. It takes everything from yourself and your body and mentally. Every year it becomes a little bit more difficult."
Sampras, the 30-year-old American winner of 13 Grand Slams, said after losing the U.S. Open final in straight sets in September: "You're going to see this Lleyton Hewitt guy for the next 10 years like you saw me."
Kuerten said he thought Australia, led by Hewitt and Wimbledon finalist Patrick Rafter, would beat France in the Davis Cup final on a drop-in grass court starting on November 30 in Melbourne.
"I always see the home team as favourite so I would go for Australia for sure," the Brazilian said.
Kuerten did not have the same confidence in his own form, however, after struggling in recent weeks.
"Right now I really need to win a few more matches," Kuerten said.
Kuerten won the season-ending inaugural Masters Cup in Lisbon last year, clinching the year-end top ranking, overtaking Russian Marat Safin by scoring back-to-back victories over Sampras and Agassi.
"Last year was the greatest moment of my career," Kuerten said.
"It just came together. It was very special getting the world number one.
"It's going to be very special to play against the top guys.
"Sydney is a nice place to play, at the Superdome. I'll try to enjoy that a lot.
"Right now I don't have the same confidence as that time," Kuerten added. 

Hewitt has No. One in his sights as Agassi out of TMS Stuttgart
STUTTGART, Germany -- Second-seeded Andre Agassi was ousted in the second round of the $2.95 million Tennis Masters Series event Wednesday. 
Hicham Arazi of Morocco recorded a 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 upset of Agassi, an American who has captured a record 12 trophies at the nine Tennis Masters Series tournaments. 
The Australian Open champion failed to take advantage of the opening created by top seed Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil, who went out in the second round Tuesday. 
Agassi hoped to collect the 100 ATP Champions Race points that go to the winner of this event. The Las Vegas native currently sits just 72 points behind world No. 1 Kuerten as they battle for the top spot at year's end. 
Since losing a classic U.S. Open quarterfinal to archrival and fellow countryman Pete Sampras, Agassi has lost his opening match in consecutive tournaments. The seven-time Grand Slam champion also endured a first-round exit at the Heineken Open in Shanghai, China. 
In was a day of upsets Wednesday as No. 4 Juan Carlos Ferrero and No. 10 Alex Corretja of Spain, No. 12 Arnaud Clement of France and No. 16 Thomas Johansson of Sweden also were bounced from the hardcourt tournament. 

Hewitt's golden chance
Australia's Lleyton Hewitt is the only person standing between himself and the ATP Champions Race lead after Andre Agassi crashed out of the Stuttgart Masters. 
Agassi, the No.2 seed, lost 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 to Moroccan Hicham Arazi in his opening match at the US2.95 million (A5.79 million) tournament. The American, who is currently second in the ATP Champions Race standings and had a bye into the second round, has now lost all chance of overtaking Race leader Gustavo Kuerten at the end of the tournament. 
Hewitt, who is third in the Race, now has the perfect opportunity to take over the top spot after Agassi's loss and the surprise defeat of Kuerten to Belarussian Max Mirnyi on Wednesday. 
Meanwhile, Pete Sampras, stayed on course for a berth in the season-ending Masters Cup by beating Austria's Stefan Koubek 6-3 7-6 in his second round match. 
The top seven players in the Champions Race will qualify for next month's Masters Cup in Sydney, with Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic likely to accept a wild card and join them as a grand slam winner. 
Local favourite Tommy Haas overcame a slow start to beat Dutchman Sjeng Schalken 4-6 7-6 6-2. Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean, the eighth seed, reached the third round with ease after a 6-3 6-4 victory over Spain's Albert Costa. Grosjean is currently tied in seventh spot in the Race standings with Sampras. 
Swede Thomas Enqvist upset Spanish fourth seed Juan-Carlos Ferrero 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4), but 14th-seeded American Andy Roddick advanced 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-5) against Frenchman Julien Boutter. Another seeded player, Spain's Alex Corretja, the 10th seed, went out, beaten 3-6 6-2 6-4 by Czech Jiri Novak. 
Argentine Guillermo Canas, who lost to Haas in the Vienna final, also moved through with a 3-6 6-3 7-5 win over Swede Thomas Johansson, the 16th seed.