Hewitt beaten
August 16, 2002 - AP

GREG RUSEDSKI won the first-set tiebreaker, then scored the only break of the match to upset top-ranked Lleyton Hewitt, 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 in the third round of the RCA Championships.

Rusedski, ranked 41st in the ATP Entry System and the 14th-seeded player here, used his strong serve and tough play at the net to offset Hewitt's baseline game.

He won five of the first six points in the first-set tiebreaker, and after Hewitt closed to 5-3, Rusedski scored a point with a reaching, forehand crossing shot, then won it with a backhand chop at the net.

Rusedski fought off three consecutive break points in the second game of the second set, then broke Hewitt in the ninth game. Hewitt won the first two points of the next game, but Rusedski won four of the next five points -- one with a 138-mph service ace -- then closed out the 1 hour, 43 minute match with an ace.

"I liked my chances, since I'm one of the few guys he (Hewitt) doesn't like to play," said Rusedski. "He plays a mistake-free game. I played an attacking version of his game."

Hewitt had one double fault; Rusedski had none.

"I wanted this match, because that's my barometer, my test, going into the US Open," said Rusedski, who beat second-ranked Marat Safin in last week's tournament at Cincinnati. "Last week, I felt my form was coming. I guess I'm coming back to form just in time for the Open."

Rusedski will play Martin Verkerk in Friday's quarterfinal round.

Hewitt credited his opponent after Rusedski evened their series at three matches each.

"He served too well. I can't remember a double fault," Hewitt said. "Obviously, there are areas of my game I can touch up on and improve so I can get into the second week of the Open."

Hewitt's ouster left No. 3 Tommy Haas as the highest remaining seeded player.

Haas rallied to break the service of No. 13th Michel Kratochvil early in the third set, then went on to post a 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory.

Haas will meet Sebastien Grosjean in the quarterfinals. Grosjean, the sixth seed, defeated Nicolas Kiefer, 7-6 (4), 6-3.

Fifth-seeded Tim Henman was ousted by a shoulder injury.

Henman, third in the ATP Champions Race, withdrew Thursday morning after hitting a few painful practice shots. He said an initial report from an MRI scan showed no tears.

"This decision has not been made with the (U.S.) Open in mind at all," he said. "I was desperate to play here.

"It's not great right now, but hopefully, with some pretty intense treatment and some rest the next few days, it shouldn't linger too long."

Marat Safin, second in the Champions Race, withdrew Wednesday, citing an upper respiratory infection. Yevgeny Kafelnikov, the fourth seeded player, was ousted Wednesday by Mario Ancic.

No. 9 Ranier Schuettler ousted eighth-seeded Xavier Malisse, 6-3, 6-2.

Arnaud DiPasquale, the lucky loser who replaced Safin on Wednesday, continued to make the most of his second opportunity. He eliminated No. 16 Fabrice Santoro, 7-6 (5) 6-2.

Felix Mantilla defeated 11th-seeded Andrei Pavel, 2-6 6-4 6-1.

RCA Championships notebook
August 18, 2002

www.indystar.com

Wishes come true

For attendance and TV purposes, tournament director Rob MacGill no doubt wishes top seed Lleyton Hewitt had made today's final.

Hewitt lost in the third round to Greg Rusedski, but Hewitt made some other wishes come true earlier in the week.

In conjunction with the RCA Championships and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, teen-agers Evan West and Katie Collier got to meet Hewitt.

West, a Center Grove High School senior, is in remission from central nervous system lymphoma. Collier, a New Palestine sophomore, suffers from Hodgkin's disease. She completed chemotherapy and radiation earlier this summer and is awaiting a report from her most recent tests.

The top-ranked Hewitt, a 21-year-old Australian, met with Collier and West for about a half-hour on Tuesday. He asked about their interests and their tennis games and answered questions.

West plays tennis for Center Grove. Collier hopes to play this spring but missed last season because of her illness.

"It was so awesome," Collier said. "He talked directly to us. He wasn't looking around or in a big hurry. It was like he wasn't even a superstar. He was a normal person."

West agreed with that assessment.

"He was very down-to-earth," West said. "It was a great experience. I was happy he was so willing to do it."

West and Collier had no idea when they were invited to the tournament that they would get to meet Hewitt.

"They told us we probably would get to meet one of the players, but we didn't know who it was," said Jeff West, Evan's father. "It couldn't have been better."

Afterward, Hewitt posed for pictures with the teen-agers and their families and signed autographs.

By Richard Pagliaro
08/16/2002

The aura of invincibility Lleyton Hewitt wore as comfortably as his backward baseball cap during his run to the Wimbledon title has been supplanted by visions of vulnerability that may creep into Hewitt's head during the American hard-court season.

On the strength of a searing serve, Briton Greg Rusedski toppled the top-seeded Hewitt 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 in last night's third-round match of the RCA Championships in Indianapolis.

A first-round casualty to Felix Mantilla at the Tennis Masters Series-Canada and runner-up to Carlos Moya in Cincinnati last Sunday, Hewitt is still trying to find the form that has carried him to two Grand Slam championships in the past year. Though he hasn't won a tournament title since Wimbledon, Hewitt can take solace in the fact that prior to his Grand Slam breakthrough at Flushing Meadows last September, he had a mediocre summer, losing in the second round at the Tennis Masters Series-Canada, in the semifinals of Cincinnati and the third round of Indianapolis.

The 21-year-old Hewitt had trouble finding the center of his strings last night, but believes his consistency will come in the best-of-five matches at the U.S. Open.

"He served big tonight, which makes him very difficult for the top players to face" Hewitt said of Rusedski. "At the same time, I felt like I had trouble finding the middle of my racquet. He didn't make many double faults tonight, and when he's hitting aces like that, it makes the tiebreak a little bit of a lucky door prize. He plays big in the bigger matches if he's on his game. He's tough to beat."

The 14th-seeded Rusedski did not commit a double fault and pressured Hewitt constantly with an oppressive serve-and-volley attack to wrap up one of his biggest wins of the season in one hour, 43 minutes.

Both players held serve throughout the first set, which went to a tiebreaker. Constantly coming forehand in the tiebreak, a resolute Rusedski reeled off five of the first six points of the tiebreak. Hewitt held on two serves to reduce the deficit to 3-5, but Rusedski rolled a forehand winner crosscourt to reach set point and won the set with a slick backhand volley stab.

The reigning U.S. Open champion is widely regarded as tennis' top returner, but Rusedski's strong serves handcuffed Hewitt, whose best chance to break serve came in the second game of the second set. Hewitt created three consecutive breakpoint chances with solid baseline play, but Rusedski fought off each break point and eventually held for 1-1. Rusedski's return is the weakest part of his game, but he registered the only break of the match in the ninth game for a 5-4 lead.

Stepping up to serve out the match, Rusedski overcame a 0-30 deficit with some of his most decisive deliveries of the match. He smashed a 138 mph ace to even the score and on match point Rusedski ripped a 136 mph ace that eluded Hewitt before he could even extend for the ball.

After several close losses in recent weeks, Rusedski believed he was on the verge of a breakthrough and gained it last night.

"I felt like I played really well against Safin last week," Rusedski said. "I knew that my form was coming and I felt like it was just a matter of time. I feel confident when I'm playing against Lleyton because I think I'm one of a few guys who he doesn't like playing against too much."

The 1997 U.S. Open runner-up has not surpassed the fourth round in any of his last 18 Grand Slam appearances, but holds out hope that his victory last night is a sign of success to come the rest of the week and at the U.S. Open. The 28-year-old Rusedski takes on Martin Verkerk, a walkover winner over Tim Henman, who withdrew with a sore shoulder yesterday, in today's quarterfinals.

"I've been trying to keep my level of consistency and I've really been just a few points away from breaking through in very big tournaments for the past couple of months," Rusedski said. "I have a very good opportunity this week and I hope I can carry it through."

Hewitt stumbles ahead of US Open

Indianapolis

August 17 2002

www.theage.com.au

Lleyton Hewitt's preparations for his US Open defence were dealt a blow when he was knocked out of the Indianapolis Open by Britain's Greg Rusedski.

Hewitt, who will not play again before the US Open begins on August 26, was stunned by the big-serving 14th seed, who ran out a 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 winner.

"He served deep, but then again it was some of the worst returning (I've made)," said Hewitt. "I just could not find the middle of the racquet. He served too well, though.

"I cannot remember him having a double-fault. He was serving big first and second serves.

"Obviously, there are areas of my game I feel I can . . . sharpen. But I don't feel too bad going into the Open."

Third seed Tommy Haas was also stretched to three sets by Michel Kratochvil before advancing 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, while fifth seed Tim Henman withdrew with an inflamed right shoulder.

But it was the Hewitt-Rusedski match that proved to be the match of the day.

The first set was so closely contested that neither player earned a break point.

In the second set, Hewitt led 40-0 on Rusedski's serve in the second game but failed to take his chance, and he paid the price at 4-4 when Rusedski broke by forcing a forehand error.

Hewitt had a chance to break straight back and led 30-0 as Rusedski served for the match, but the ball just clipped the net to deny him a potential match-saving three break points.

Rusedski had to fight off one break point as Hewitt made a desperate last stand, before he closed out the match with a 218-kmh ace.

In other matches, 11th seed Andrei Pavel lost to Spain's Felix Mantilla 2-6, 6-4 6-1, while France's Arnaud DiPasquale defeated 16th seed Fabrice Santoro 7-6 (7-5), 6-2.

Sixth seed Sebastien Grosjean overcame Nicolas Kiefer 7-6 (7-4), 6-4. Ninth seed Rainer Schuettler defeated eighth seed Xavier Malisse 6-3, 6-2. Arnaud Clement also advanced.

Meanwhile, titleholder and second seed American Andy Roddick was knocked out in the third round of the Legg Mason Classic in Washington by Fernando Meligeni of Brazil 6-4, 6-4. Top seed Andre Agassi advanced.

Friday, 16 August, 2002, 03:57 GMT 04:57 UK

http://news.bbc.co.uk

Greg Rusedski wrecked Lleyton Hewitt's preparations for the defence of his US Open title by dumping him out of the RCA Championship in Indianapolis.

Rusedski's powerful serve proved too much for the world number one as the 14th seeded Briton won the third-round match 7-6 6-4.

"He served deep, but then again it was some of the worst returning I've made," said Hewitt, who will not play again before the US Open begins on 26 August.

"I just could not find the middle of the racket. He served too well, though.

"I cannot remember him having a double-fault. He was serving big first and second serves.

"Obviously there are areas of my game I feel I can just touch up on and sharpen. But I don't feel too bad going into the Open."

The first set was so closely contested that neither player earned a break point, with Rusedski winning the tie-break 7-3.

In the second set, Hewitt led 40-0 on Rusedski's serve in the second game but failed to take his chance.

The Australian paid the price at 4-4 when Rusedski broke by forcing a forehand error.

Rusedski had to fight off one break point as Hewitt made a desperate last stand but he closed out the match with a 136mph ace.

His reward for beating Hewitt is a quarter-final meeting with Holland's Martin Verkerk, who went through after British number one Tim Henman pulled out with a shoulder injury.

"I felt good for tonight's match and I'm quite confident when I play Lleyton," said Rusedski.

"I didn't make any errors and the serving, and my movement around the court, was excellent today.

"This win was worth a lot. He's one of the favourites if not the favourite for the championship.

"He never beats himself so when you beat him you know he is playing good tennis and that gives you a lot of confidence."

RCA CHAMPIONSHIPSRusedski eliminates top-seeded Hewitt

By Mark Ambrogi

mark.ambrogi@indystar.com

August 16, 2002

Greg Rusedski had made it clear all week he wanted to play top seed Lleyton Hewitt in the RCA Championships.

"I'm quite confident when I play Lleyton because I'm one of the few guys I think that he doesn't like to play too much," he said.

The top-ranked Australian likes it even less now. The 14th-seeded Rusedski eliminated Hewitt 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 in the third round at the Indianapolis Tennis Center before an estimated crowd of 6,000 Thursday night.

Rusedski, ranked 41st on the ATP Tour, advances to today's quarterfinal match against Martin Verkerk, who advanced when fifth-seeded Tim Henman pulled out on Thursday morning because of inflammation of his right shoulder.

Rusedski moves on because he avoided any big mistakes.

"He plays a game where he doesn't make many errors," said Rusedski, who evened his career record against Hewitt at three apiece. "I was playing at a very high level. I was playing an attacking, very high percentage game, but very aggressive. My serving was excellent."

The London resident, who turns 29 on Sept. 6, delivered 10 aces, including a 136-mph shot to close out the match.

"He served big, but that was some of the worst returning that I've had," Hewitt said. "I couldn't find the middle of the racket. He had big first and second serves. And it's always going to be tough to break him."

Hewitt had two big chances. Leading 1-0 in the second set, he got ahead love-40 on Rusedski's serve, but Rusedski fought back.

Then trailing 5-4 in the final game, Hewitt had another shot on Rusedski's serve.

"I had love-30 in the last game and hit the tape," Hewitt said. "It felt like I hit that pretty well. That would have set up love-40 and he's obviously a little nervous trying to serve it out."

Hewitt had one break point at 30-40, but the 6-4 left-handed Rusedski saved it.

"That's what wins big matches: being able to step up on those big points," Hewitt said.

Rusedski did. Hewitt didn't.

Hewitt heads off to prepare for his defense of the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 26.

Rusedski said this was a great barometer for his game.

"He's the favorite for the U.S. Open and he's the defending Wimbledon champion," Rusedski said. "He never beats himself, so you know you're playing good tennis. That gives you a lot of confidence. You have to be there from the first ball to the last ball."

Rusedski had beaten second-ranked Marat Safin at the Tennis Masters Series event in Cincinnati last week. Safin, the RCA No. 2 seed, withdrew from Indianapolis before his opening match because of an upper respiratory viral infection.

"Not too many guys have beaten No. 1 and 2 ranked players in back-to-back weeks," Rusedski said. "I guess I'm coming back to the form just before the U.S. Open starts."

If Rusedski wins, he will face the highest seeded player left. No. 3 seed Tommy Haas takes on sixth-seeded Sebastien Grosjean in an afternoon semifinal.

Haas advanced by pulling out a three-set victory over 13th-seeded Michel Kratochvil, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

The other quarterfinal matches feature Felix Mantilla against No. 15 seed Arnaud Clement and No. 9 seed Rainer Schuettler against Arnaud Di Pasquale. Those survivors will meet in the other semifinal.

Haas felt lucky to survive the upset bugs.

"It was tight. It could have gone his way in the second set, so it was nice to come back and win it," Haas said.

Leading 6-5, Haas broke Kratochvil's serve to take the set.

"In the second set when he got broken to lose the set, he got mentally down," Haas said. "In the third set, I served really well to go up 1-love and then I broke him right away and I think that made him (angrier)."

After Haas took a 4-0 lead, Haas said "(Kratochvil) kind of gave up."

Haas received treatment from the ATP Tour trainer for his ailing shoulder and elbow during the match.

"All I can do is try to forget about it during the match and keep playing," he said.

Haas saved seven of the nine break points he faced.

Sports - Reuters

Hewitt Knocked Out by Rusedski at Indianapolis

Thu Aug 15,11:19 PM ET

By Barry Wood

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (Reuters) - Lleyton Hewitt's preparations for the defense of his U.S. Open ( news - web sites) title were dealt a blow on Thursday when he was knocked out of the Indianapolis Open by Britain's Greg Rusedski ( news - profile - photos).

Hewitt, who will not play again before the U.S. Open begins on August 26, was stunned by the big-serving 14th seed who ran out a 7-6 6-4 winner.

"He served deep, but then again it was some of the worst returning (I've made)," said Hewitt, who has one of the best serve returns in the game. "I just could not find the middle of the racket. He served too well, though.

"I can not remember him having a double-fault. He was serving big first and second serves.

"Obviously there are areas of my game I feel I can just touch up on and sharpen. But I don't feel too bad going into the Open."

Third seed Tommy Haas was also stretched to three sets by Michel Kratochvil before advancing 4-6 7-5 6-1 while fifth seed Tim Henman ( news - profile - photos) withdrew with an inflamed right shoulder.

But it was the Hewitt-Rusedski match which proved to be the match of the day.

The first set was so closely contested that neither player earned a break point, although Hewitt was twice taken to deuce before Rusedski won the tiebreak.

In the second set, Hewitt led 40-0 on Rusedski's serve in the second game but failed to take his chance, and he paid the price at 4-4 when Rusedski broke by forcing a forehand error.

Hewitt had a chance to break straight back and led 30-0 as Rusedski served for the match, but the ball just clipped the net to deny him a potential match-saving three break points.

Rusedski had to fight off one break point as Hewitt made a desperate last stand, before he closed out the match with a 136mph (218kph) ace.

Rusedski said he was feeling confident about the way his preparations are going for the US Open.

"I felt good for tonight's match and I'm quite confident when I play Lleyton," said Rusedski. "I didn't make any errors and the serving... and my movement around the court... was excellent today."

"Coming back from 0-40 was definitely important for the second set and I was able to stamp back my authority. It was a key game.

"This win was worth a lot. He's one of the favorites if not the favorite for the championship, and he never beats himself so when you beat him you know he is playing good tennis and that gives you a lot of confidence."

HASS STRUGGLES

Haas came close to defeat against Kratochvil before taking charge in the final set.

He double-faulted three times on the way to dropping his serve at 3-3 in the first set, and the match remained in the balance until he broke serve at 6-5 to take the second set.

In the final set, Haas fired three aces in the opening game, and Kratochvil dropped his first two service games with double-faults to leave Haas firmly in control.

In other matches, 11th seed Andrei Pavel and 16th seed Fabrice Santoro lost to unseeded players on Thursday.

Pavel lost to Spain's Felix Mantilla 2-6 6-4 6-1, while France's Arnaud DiPasquale beat Santoro 7-6 6-2.

Sixth seed Sebastien Grosjean overcame Nicolas Kiefer 7-6 6-4, ninth seed Rainer Schuettler defeated eighth seed Xavier Malisse 6-3 6-2 while 15th seed Arnaud Clement ended the run of Mario Ancic 6-3 6-4.

INDIANAPOLIS

Aug. 15, 2002

www.atptennis.com

TOP SEED HEWITT OUSTED AT INDY
World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt fell to an inspired Greg Rusedski 7-6(3), 6-4 on Thursday night in Indianapolis. The Briton forced the top seed out of the RCA Championships with his gigantic serve, that especially came in handy during the critical first set tie-break.

Rusedski Quotes: "I felt like I played really well against Safin last week. I knew that my form was coming, and I felt like was just a matter of time. I feel confident when I'm playing against Lleyton because I think I'm one of a few guys who he doesn't like playing against too much. I've been trying to keep my level of consistency and I've really been just a few points away from breaking through in very big tournaments for the past couple of months. I have a very good opportunity this week and I hope that I can carry it through."

Hewitt Quotes: "He served big tonight, which makes him very difficult for the top players to face. At the same time I felt like I had trouble finding the middle of my racquet tonight. He didn't make many double faults tonight, and when he's hitting aces like that, it makes the tie-break a little bit of a lucky door prize. He plays big in the bigger matches if he's on his game. He's tough to beat."

RCA notebook

August 15, 2002

Challenging test

Greg Rusedski figures he'll get a good view of where his game is today when he plays top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt.

"It will be a great test," said Rusedski, who beat qualifier Lionel Roux 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday. "Every week I've won like one extra match. So it's consistently building towards the U.S. Open like I would like."

Hewitt holds a 3-2 advantage over Rusedski, but this will be their first meeting on outdoor hardcourts.

Rusedski, who turns 29 on Sept. 6, said it is Hewitt's consistency and competitiveness that sets him apart.

"He can lose to anyone in the top 100 if they're on a good day," the London resident said. "If they're a little off, he'll usually come out on top."

Rusedski respects how tough it is for the 21-year-old Hewitt to play so consistently without a huge weapon.

"He has a game that he has to work from the first ball until the last ball," Rusedski said. "He beats you with one extra step and one extra shot. It's a very intense mental and physical game he plays and demands a lot of him."

RCA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Hewitt moves closer to his secondary goal

As top competitors fall by wayside, No. 1 seed uses RCAs to prepare for U.S. Open.

By Mark Ambrogi

mark.ambrogi@indystar.com

August 15, 2002

Winning the RCA Championships title would be great, but top seed Lleyton Hewitt made it clear preparing for defense of his U.S. Open title is his main aim.

"Obviously, I want to go as far as I can," Hewitt said. "If I win the tournament, great. If I don't, I still want to be improving my game."

Hewitt beat Alberto Martin 6-3, 7-5 in second-round action at the Indianapolis Tennis Center on Wednesday evening. Hewitt's quest for an RCA title became easier before he took the court since the Nos. 2 and 4 seeds had already been eliminated.

Second-seeded Marat Safin pulled out before even picking up a racket. Safin, who was runner-up in Indianapolis two years ago and a semifinalist last year, withdrew with a upper respiratory viral infection on Wednesday morning. Safin, 22, said he began feeling ill on Sunday.

Mario Ancic, an 18-year-old wild card, registered the biggest surprise on court by upsetting No. 4 Yevgeny Kafelnikov 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Ancic is No. 129 in the ATP Tour entry rankings. Kafelnikov is No. 4.

Fifth-seeded Tim Henman survived an upset scare before edging Chile's Nicolas Massu 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 before an estimated crowd of 5,000 in the evening session.

Rain delayed the afternoon session three times so Hewitt didn't finish his match until after the scheduled start of the evening session.

Hewitt gained some revenge on Martin, who had won in their only other meeting, in the first round of the Australian Open in January. Hewitt was feeling the ill effects of the chicken pox during the match.

This time Hewitt grabbed control early.

"I felt like I served pretty well on the big points. That's what I felt I could do really well at Wimbledon," said Hewitt of his second Grand Slam title in July.

Hewitt, who lost to Carlos Moya on Sunday at the Tennis Masters Series in Cincinnati, said his serve and movement could still use some improvement before the U.S. Open begins on Aug. 26.

"And it seems like I get a lot of 15-30s and love-30s and I'm not able to break in those games," said Hewitt, who will take next week off to practice. "I've got to sharpen up on that this week since these are my last matches I have before the U.S. Open."

Hewitt won three of the nine break points he had on Martin's serve.

While he fine-tunes his physical game, the 21-year-old Australian said he will take the same mental approach he always does into his first defense of a Grand Slam.

"I'm going to have the same attitude that I've got to beat seven guys to hold up the trophy again," Hewitt said.

He has to beat four more to win the RCA title. Next up is 14th-seeded Greg Rusedski tonight on Stadium Court.

Kafelnikov lost his first match in Indianapolis for the second consecutive year. The Russian had no explanation for his loss to the Croatian teen.

"I have no idea," he said. "He was doing everything better to beat me. Otherwise, I would have been victorious."

Ancic held his composure through two rain delays in the third set. Ancic closed out the victory on his third match point.

"He's a great player," Ancic said. "I knew if I gave him an opportunity there, he'll run me and then he will break me. It was either me or him."

Henman had a three-set struggle, too.

"I've beaten him on clay and lost to him on hardcourts, so he's not the easiest guy to play against," said Henman, who is 2-1 over Massu.

The 27-year-old Englishman was helped by seven double faults, four in the final game, by Massu in the third set. "He was struggling with his second serve and I had to take advantage of that," Henman said.

Henman kept his composure despite having his serve broken twice in the second set.

"I wasn't going to get frustrated because I know that's going to make things worse," said Henman, an Indianapolis semifinalist in 2000 and quarterfinalist last year.

Wednesday's Predictions
By Sandra Harwitt

1-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) VS. Alberto Martin (Spain)

Lleyton Hewitt is brash and the best - a world No. 1 with attitude and oodles of talent.

Only a couple of weeks away from trying to defend a Grand Slam title for the first time in his career at the U.S. Open, Hewitt has had mixed results in the couple of tournaments he's played this summer.

A virus kept Hewitt on the sidelines for the LA tournament, he crashed out in the first round of Toronto to Felix Mantilla, and then last week he carved a path to the final where Carlos Moya won the day in straight sets.

The Moya match offered great tennis and great drama, except for the over two-hour rain delay - that just offered boredom. What was most interesting about the final was that Moya kept the pressure on even when Hewitt raced to what seemingly was a commanding 5-2 lead in the second set.

You can bet that while Hewitt was gracious about the loss, he wasn't very happy about it. The world No. 1 was in line to win an 11th consecutive final and he didn't particularly care for someone like Moya getting in the way. And you can also bet that the loss has made the Australian even more determined to win the RCA Championships, especially since he'd like to head to the U.S. Open with a summer win under his belt.

Alberto Martin is a Spaniard, but not one of similar stature to the Moya, a former world No. 1. Translation - he has very little chance against Hewitt, who will hold to top form in straight sets.

Top seed Hewitt hoping to stop the Spanish rot
by Bill Scott

INDIANAPOLIS -- It will be a return to the Future for top seed Lleyton Hewitt in his opening match at the RCA Championships. Three days after losing the Cincinnati final to Spain's Carlos Moya, the Australian will come face-to face with potential another Iberian nightmare.

It was only seven months ago at his home Grand Slam in Melbourne that Hewitt suffered one of the worst recent defeats, going out to Alberto Martin in four sets while suffering with a case of chicken pox.

Unfit or not, there was no way the Aussie battler was going to miss that appointment. As it happens, he had to drag himself to the court, putting up a decent fight before his strength failed him.

The defeat still stings. And Wednesday at the Indianapolis Tennis Center could be the venue for some long-awaited sweet revenge.

Despite winning Wimbledon and four other trophys so far this season - with a U.S. Open defense to come starting in less than a fortnight - Spaniards seems to have Hewitt dialled up.

From seven matches against members of the tennis Armada, Hewitt has copped five defeats, three of them against Moya. But he does own a win over his rival in the first round at the Masters at Indian Wells and took a victory against Felciano Lopez in the Spanish tennis capital of Barcelona in April.

Hewitt is known as a fighter, and his Sunday loss to Moya has far from cast a pall of gloom over his summer. "I've lost to a few of them this year, but I don't think it gives me that much trouble. I've beaten them a lot as well. In the early rounds I chop up a lot of the Spanish and South American players as well."

He added: "The guys I've lost to, they've been class players." The defense of his U.S. Open title in new York starting in a fortnight is the top priority for Hewitt. "I'm hitting the ball well, I've gone up another level since Toronto (a first-round loss to Spain's Felix Mantilla), which is nice. That's all I can really ask for out of the tournament.

"Sure, I'm disappointed to have lost the final, I would have loved to have won another tournament like this. But when you sit back and go through what your preparation is going to be for the next two weeks, well things are going in the right direction at least at the moment."

British 14th seed Greg Rusedski took a step towards a third-round possible meeting with Hewitt, dispatching Spain's Alberto Montanes 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 to reach the second round.

Rusedski, playing here for the fifth time, followed up his opening shot last week in Cincinnati which resulted in a knockout of second seed Marat Safin with a straightforward victory in his first meeting with the modest Spanish challenger. "I served well in the first set, came back from 0-3 in the tie-breaker and got into a groove in the second set," said Rusedski, who lost the 1997 U.S. Open final to Patrick Rafter. "I'd look forward to a third-round match against Hewitt.

"He's the best in the world and a true test of my game."

Holland's Martin Verkerk claimed the first seeded scalp of the week, upsetting number 12 Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia 6-4, 6-2. Australian Wayne Arthurs, a quarterfinalist at Cincinnati beat Korean Hyung-Taik Lee 6-4, 6-3.

Seeded second behind Hewitt is Russian Marat Safin, the 2000 U.S. Open champion whose game has hit an untimely slump during this hard-court summer. The 22-year-old has yet to win a title this season but was a runner-up at the Australian Open and the Masters in Hamburg before reaching the semi-finals of Roland Garros. A year ago, Safin lost to Patrick Rafter in the semi-finals here. He opens against the winner between Ramon Delgado of Paraguay and qualifier Austrian Stefan Koubek.

RCA Championships Notebook

August 13, 2002

Rematch time

Top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt will get another shot at Alberto Martin.

Martin upset Hewitt 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (9-7) in the first round of the Australian Open in January. Hewitt was weakened by the chicken pox.

"It's a different time and different match," said Martin, who advanced by beating Magnus Larsson in three sets on Monday.

Hewitt has a 2-5 record against Spaniards.

The Spanish players are typically quick baseliners. Martin said Hewitt would probably rather play a serve-and-volleyer.

"I'll just have to play my game and see what happens," Martin said. "I'll just have to fight every point."