Hewitt wins first title of the season at expense of Philippoussis


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (March 9, 2003 5:54 p.m. EST) - Lleyton Hewitt won his first title of the season Sunday, improving his impressive career record against Australian compatriots with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Mark Philippoussis in the final of the 400,000-dollar Templeton Classic Sunday.

Hewitt earned his 18th trophy without dropping a set all week at the desert hard-court tournament.

The 22-year-old now stands 24-5 against his compatriots, having won 15 of his last 16 matches against Australians since June 1999.

His only loss during that stretch came to mentor Patrick Rafter in the Cincinnati semis two years ago. He has never lost to a fellow Aussie more than once.

Hewitt now heads to his Masters Series title defense next week in Indian Wells, California, running on high-octane confidence from only his second tournament of the season.

His opening task there will be difficult: a first-round clash with Morocco's Younes El Aynaoui - the man who knocked him out in the fourth round of the Australian Open.

Hewitt, the 2000 winner in Scottsdale and top seed this week, stormed to an early first-set break against 1997 Scottsdale winner Philippoussis which left him enough margin to win the set.

He then began the second in strong fashion with another break of the mighty Philippoussis serve and continued to pile the pressure on his Davis Cup teammate, now more than two years without a title after a series of knee injuries.

Hewitt improved to 8-1 this season from two tournaments as he captured the first all-Australian final on the ATP circuit since April, when Andrew Ilie beat Jason Stoltenberg in Atlanta.

The defeat was another blow to Philippoussis' record against world No. 1 players, against whom he stands 2-11 lifetime.

His only two wins against the reigning top man came against Pete Sampras in 1996 and 1997

Hewitt cruises into title match by beating Dent

Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 9, 2003 12:00 AM

A rusty Lleyton Hewitt is tough enough to top. Trying to beat a sharp version of the world's No. 1 player is torture.

Any residual rust from Hewitt's month layoff is as long gone as Andre Agassi's stay at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Hewitt methodically dispatched American Taylor Dent in 68 minutes, peppering him with an array of ammunition for a 6-2, 6-4 semifinal win Saturday at the Franklin Templeton Tennis Classic.

Hewitt, whose serve has been broken twice in the past three matches, won all but three service points in the first set and used his world-best return game to capitalize on Dent's power serves throughout the match. Dent had won eight straight matches but his serve-and-volley game was no match for Hewitt, who sent passing shots flying by him on most of his approaches.

"I was probably standing in closer than a lot of guys would against his serve," Hewitt said of Dent's serves that reached 133 mph. "I was trying to take advantage of it and make him play a lot of volleys. I think the pressure just kept building up and building up until eventually he had to go for a couple of second serves if he was going to serve and volley on it.

"I felt like I was in a bit of a zone passing-wise and returning-wise today. That obviously helped against a guy like Taylor who is always coming at you. There are not a lot of guys who can return his serve as well as I did today."

Dent's lone shot came when he won the only break point he had all match. That put Dent ahead 3-1 in the second set but Hewitt responded by breaking right back when Dent put two straight volleys into the net. Hewitt broke him later with his forte, the baseline game, and closed with a service winner.

"He makes you play a lot of balls and he likes to play guys like me," Dent said.

Hewitt plays some of his best tennis in Scottsdale, where he has reached three finals in four trips.

"I took a big step," Hewitt said. "I felt like I was hitting the ball clean today. I felt pretty good out there."

Hewitt will face more big serves in today's 2 p.m. singles championship against his doubles partner, Mark Philippoussis, who hit a tourney-high 138 mph Saturday and faulted at 140. But Philippoussis, a 1998 U.S. Open finalist, is starting to round out his game. He showed off the court coverage he had before undergoing knee surgeries in 2000 and 2001.

Philippoussis could not live off his rocket power with his first-serve percentage at 43 percent in a 6-3, 7-6 semifinal win over Mariano Zabaleta.

Philippoussis sent Zabaleta scurrying all over and broke him down by matching his powerful forehands and mixing in some serve-and-volley game and backhand passing shots. Zabaleta got a service break on the match's first game but never again.

To get to a second-set tiebreaker, Philippoussis saved two break points in one game and needed five game points in another. In the tiebreaker, Zabaleta had four set points, two on his serve that Philippoussis saved with backhand winners. Philippoussis closed with a 124 mph service winner.

"I'm getting match toughness back," Philippoussis said.

Hewitt beats Dent
March 9, 2003

LLEYTON Hewitt powered into his first final of the year, ending the eight-match win streak of American Taylor Dent with a 6-2, 6-4 victory at the 400,000-dollar Templeton Classic.

Hewitt, the world number one and top seed won the title here in 2000 and now boasts and impressive 16-2 record from four appearances at the desert hard-court tournament.

His only two losses at the Scottsdale Princess came in 1999 against Jan-Michael Gambill and two years later from Spain's now-retired Francisco Clavet.

Hewitt now awaits the winner of the second semi-final between Australian Davis Cup teammate Mark Philippoussis and Argentina's Mariano Zabaleta.

Hewitt, who has yet to drop a set this week, thrived in the fast conditions under cloudless skies. His performance is reassuring given his Masters Series title defence starting Monday at Indian Wells, California.

The Aussie took a 4-2 lead in the opening set against the young American, whose father is former Australian player Phil Dent. But it didn't take much for Hewitt to take command as he dulled the big-hitting game of his unseeded opponent.

Dent gave a flicker in the second set with a break for 3-1. But that burst of inspiration was short-lived, with Hewitt breaking straight back to return to an even keel.

The top seed got to 4-all, then broke one more time.

Dent was playing in Scottsdale for the for the first time. The serve-and-volleyer won a tournament last month in Memphis and - before running into the impeccable Hewitt - had won 16 of 17 sets.

Agence France-Presse


Hewitt Tops Dent to Reach Templeton Final

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Top-ranked Lleyton Hewitt dismissed Taylor Dent of the United States 6-2, 6-4 Saturday in the Templeton Tennis Classic semifinals.

Hewitt will play Mark Philippoussis (news) or Mariano Zabaleta in Sunday's final.


"I was in a bit of a zone passing-wise and returning-wise today," said Hewitt, a finalist three times in four Scottsdale appearances. "I was pleased with the way, after he would play a great game, I was able to come back and play a great game. I felt pretty good out there. I was seeing the ball well."


Hewitt has won all three matches against Dent, whose biggest asset is his serve. Hewitt, of course, is a top returner.


"I just tried stepping it up on his serve," said Hewitt, the 2001 U.S. Open (news - web sites) and 2002 Wimbledon (news - web sites) champion. "I was actually standing in closer than a lot of guys would on his serve. There's not a lot of guys can return his serve as well as I did today. He has a huge serve. I tried to take away his weapon as much as possible, and it paid off."


Dent, a winner last month in Memphis, had won eight straight matches and won 16 of his last 17 sets before facing Hewitt. He entered the tournament ranked a career-high 42nd.


"Just not solid enough," Dent said. "I hoped I could step up my level of play. I couldn't make enough volleys."


Hewitt Tops Dent to Reach Templeton Final

The Associated Press

Top-ranked Lleyton Hewitt dismissed Taylor Dent of the United States 6-2, 6-4 Saturday in the Templeton Tennis Classic semifinals.

Hewitt will play Mark Philippoussis or Mariano Zabaleta in Sunday's final.

"I was in a bit of a zone passing-wise and returning-wise today," said Hewitt, a finalist three times in four Scottsdale appearances. "I was pleased with the way, after he would play a great game, I was able to come back and play a great game. I felt pretty good out there. I was seeing the ball well."

Hewitt has won all three matches against Dent, whose biggest asset is his serve. Hewitt, of course, is a top returner.

"I just tried stepping it up on his serve," said Hewitt, the 2001 U.S. Open and 2002 Wimbledon champion. "I was actually standing in closer than a lot of guys would on his serve. There's not a lot of guys can return his serve as well as I did today. He has a huge serve. I tried to take away his weapon as much as possible, and it paid off."

Dent, a winner last month in Memphis, had won eight straight matches and won 16 of his last 17 sets before facing Hewitt. He entered the tournament ranked a career-high 42nd.

"Just not solid enough," Dent said. "I hoped I could step up my level of play. I couldn't make enough volleys

Hewitt advances to semifinals 
March 7, 2003

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt advanced to the semifinals in the Franklin Templeton Tennis Classic on Friday, defeating Spaniard Alex Corretja, 6-4, 6-2. 

Joining Hewitt in the semifinals was fellow Aussie Mark Philippoussis, a wild card entry who upset third-seeded Argentinan David Nalbandian, 0-6, 6-3, 6-4. 

The victory snapped Hewitt's three-match losing streak against Corretja. 

``I felt I got better as the match went on,'' said Hewitt, who has reached the semifinals in all four of his appearances in the tournament. ``I'm getting better. That's the main thing. That's what I wanted. That's why I came here.'' 

Hewitt, the 2000 champion of the tournament, is playing in just his third event of the year. 

``It's really been a good week, so far,'' said Hewitt, who has a 15-2 record in Scottsdale. ``Hopefully, I can keep it going. Even if something went wrong in the next couple of days, I still wouldn't be disappointed with coming here.'' 

Corretja also has played in only three tournaments this season. 

``We set a goal. We said we need at least three matches,'' said Corretja, who last beat Hewitt in 2001 in Dusseldorf. ``We reached the goal. We played three matches. I tried to spend as much time as I could on the court. I feel I need to improve to beat a guy like Lleyton.'' 

Hewitt will play the winner of the match between Taylor Dent and David Sanchez in one semifinal. Philippoussis will play the James Blake-Mariano Zabaleta in the other semi.

Hewitt eases into Scottsdale quarters March 6

Scottsdale, AZ (Sports Network) - World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt ran past South African Wayne Ferreira on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals at the Franklin Templeton Tennis Classic. The top-seeded Aussie will meet two-time French Open runner-up Alex Corretja of Spain here on Friday.

The 2000 Scottsdale champion Hewitt humbled the veteran Ferreira in 7-5, 6-1 fashion to set-up the quarterfinal against the sixth-seeded Corretja , a 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-1 victor against stubborn Frenchman Arnaud Di Pasquale at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Ferreira claimed this Arizona championship in 1996.

Hewitt reached back-to-back finals here in 1999 and 2000, losing to American Jan-Michael Gambill in the '99 title match and beating Britain's Tim Henman in the '00 championship encounter.

The 22-year-old Hewitt is playing in his first ATP event since January's Australian Open, where he suffered a fourth-round setback at the hands of Moroccan Younes El Aynaoui. Hewitt also played in Australia's first-round Davis Cup victory against the visiting Brits four weeks ago, but had taken time off since then in order to keep fresh for the '03 season.

The winner of this $380,000 hardcourt event will claim $52,000.

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID
Hewitt: "Last year was such a long year, especially towards the end of the year, not feeling great, mentally and physically going into Shanghai. I felt like I needed more weeks off between Shanghai and the Australian summer."

"I was sitting around and something just clicked. I enjoy coming here and playing in Scottsdale. I got here a few days before Kim was playing I decided I am ready to play here and be ready for the conditions. The main thing I was ready to play."

"It's always tough the first match back and there were three breaks in a row. He was playing a lot better on my service games than his own. He was
very loose and flashy on his own service games and he was playing more percentage on my service games and not making so many errors. It was a
tough mix up. The conditions change so much here in Scottsdale playing at night compared to the day."

"I felt like I got better as the match went on. I was starting to move a lot better and timing the ball a lot better, especially on my forehand. I
didn't make too many errors on my backhand all night. Early on, I felt like I was pushing a little bit too much on my forehand and not staying down and staying down and hitting through the ball like I probably should have been.
When you get on that roll, you get up a set and a break, and you get on cruise control a little bit, you're able to step it up another gear and I
was able to do that. If I'm going to go through the tournament and get to my best tennis this week I'm going to have to get better and better with each match."

Wednesday March 5, 2003 3:28 PM AEDT
ABC Online, Australia

Hewitt leads Australian charge in Arizona

Australian world number one Lleyton Hewitt, alongside compatriots Mark Philippoussis and Scott Draper, has moved into the second round of the $US 385,000 tennis tournament in Arizona.

Top seed Hewitt advanced unscathed in his first match since doubles in the Davis Cup against Britain last month, beating Spain's Fernando Vicente 6-4, 6-3.

Philippoussis, a wildcard entry like his compatriot, booked victory over seventh seed Juan Chela, ousting the Argentine 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-1 in 93 minutes.

Lucky loser Scott Draper joined the Australian party, defeating Swede Jonas Bjorkman 6-3, 7-6 (7-5).

A "Wayne's World" battle went against hard-hitting Australian Wayne Arthurs, who absorbed his nation's lone defeat on the day, going down to Australian Open semi-finalist Wayne Ferreira of South Africa 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2.

Hewitt, the 2000 champion and a 1999 finalist here, improved to 13-2 at the desert venue as he kept Vicente from again advancing past the first round.

"I was a little rusty in first match," Hewitt said.

"It had a weird start with three straight breaks of serve. He seemed to play a lot better on my service games than his.

"But if I'm working to get to my best tennis this week, this was a great match. I couldn't have asked for more, being off the court in two sets."

Philippoussis came in with only one win from two American tournaments last month. With finding consistent form after his long series of knee injuries still a problem, he is aiming to settle in for a good run during the next two Masters Series this month in Indian Wells and Miami.

Philippoussis is also a former champion here, lifting the trophy in 1997 after losing the 1995 final to Jim Courier.

Another seed joined beaten second seed Andre Agassi on the sidelines as number four Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand was upset by Ecuadorian qualifier Giovanni Lapentti 7-6 (7/2), 6-2.

The Asian ace has been through a rough patch after starting the year with a title in Chennai. He finished a career-high 18th on the ATP last season, but has been unable to get past the first round in two of his last three events.

A relaxed Agassi, who lost on Monday, spent a few hours offering fellow players a turn on his $US 5,000 stand-up gyroscopic scooter.

The toy has proved to be a big hit for the American, whose unbeaten streak this season was ended as 12 matches Monday by Swede Thomas Enqvist.

Australian Open finalist Rainer Schuettler blossomed in the heat, overcoming jet lag and Israeli qualifier Harel Levy 2-6, 7-5, 6-1.

The German has yet to dip below a quarter-final finish this charmed season - highlighted by his appearance against Andre Agassi in the grand slam finale at Melbourne.

Spaniard Alex Corretja came good as he competed in only his third event since October, beating Russian Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 6-2.

"My season is really starting now," said the 28-year-old.

"I'm feeling good, but I need more hours on the court. I've been practising for the past four months and I'm tired of it."

Frenchman Arnaud Di Pasquale moved into the second round over Luis Horna of Peru 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, while Mariano Zabaleta of Argentina beat American Robby Ginepri 7-6 (8/6), 6-3.


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Hewitt wins first match in Scottsdale

By Mel Reisner
ASSOCIATED PRESS
8:11 p.m., March 4, 2003

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Looking strong after a month off, Lleyton Hewitt defeated Spain's Fernando Vicente 6-4, 6-3 in the first round of the Franklin Templeton Tennis Classic on Tuesday night.

The 22-year-old Australian, the world's top-ranked player, hadn't played since the Davis Cup against Britain four weeks ago, and this is his first singles tournament since he was beaten in the fourth round at the Australian Open in January.

Hewitt felt drained after defending the ATP's No. 1 ranking every week last year and winning five titles, including Wimbledon, and he refused to commit to Scottsdale.

But he accepted a wild-card entry after spending last week watching his Belgian girlfriend, Kim Clijsters, reach the final of the State Farm Women's Tennis Classic on the same hardcourts.

"No matter how I go this week, it's going to give me a few matches going into Indian Wells and Miami," Hewitt said. "But the main thing was, I felt like I was ready to play."

Hewitt, who won the title here in 2000, improved to 13-2 in the tournament by breaking Vicente twice in the first three games of the second set to go up 4-0. He then repeated the break in the ninth game.

Hewitt said he could feel the improvement as the match went on.

"I felt like early on I was pushing a little bit too much on my forehand and wasn't sort of hitting through the ball like I should have been," he said. "And when you get on that roll and you get up a set and a break, you go onto cruise control a little bit, and obviously you get a lot more confident."

Earlier, Giovanni Lapentti of Ecuador beat fourth-seeded Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand 7-6 (2), 6-2 for the second upset in as many days. Defending champion Andre Agassi lost to Thomas Enqvist on Monday.

Seventh-seeded Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina fell in the first round, beaten by Australia's Mark Philippoussis 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-1. But that was less of a surprise, since Philippoussis won at Scottsdale in 1997 and is 11-2 in the event.

The other seeded players in the day session beat qualifiers: Fifth-seeded Rainer Schuettler of Germany beat Harel Levy of Israel 2-6, 7-5, 6-1; and sixth-seeded Alex Corretja of Spain defeated Dmitry Tursunov of Russia 6-4, 6-2.

Arnaud Di Pasquale of France beat Luis Horna of Peru 6-2, 3-6, 6-3; Argentine Mariano Zabaleta ousted American Robby Ginepri 7-6 (6), 6-3; Scott Draper of Australia beat Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden 6-3, 7-6 (5); and Wayne Ferreira of South Africa beat Wayne Arthurs of Australia 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-2.

The 20-year-old Lapentti, the youngest player in the field, had to beat 2001 Scottsdale winner Francisco Clavet of Spain in the final qualifying round to enter his first main draw. But he wasn't in awe when he got there.

"I'm not afraid of playing these guys," he said.

Lapentti, ranked 311th, had the 12th-ranked Srichaphan reeling early. Srichaphan double-faulted three times, while Lapentti broke him in the second game. In the tiebreaker, Lapentti trailed only after the first serve.

His momentum continued in the second set. He broke Srichaphan in the first and fifth games, helped by two more of the Thai's six double faults.

Scud, Hewitt team up
March 4 2003
By Linda Pearce
As Australia prepares to play Sweden on an indoor hardcourt in next month's quarter-final in Malmo, a potential new Davis Cup doubles combination is on debut in Arizona. Not only does the Scottsdale pairing of Lleyton Hewitt and Mark Philippoussis expand the selection options of captain John Fitzgerald, it completes Philippoussis's symbolic return to local tennis favour.

Not since being dumped by regular partner Pat Rafter in January 1999 has Philippoussis teamed with a fellow Australian, and this public embrace with Hewitt follows last month's harmonious and successful return to Davis Cup competition in the tie against Britain in Sydney.

This doubles pairing may continue at next week's Masters Series event in Indian Wells, and intermittently thereafter.

In the past four years, Philippoussis has combined with 12 different partners, from Goran Ivanisevic to Justin Gimelstob, but not a single Australian. During that time, the Victorian has struggled with recurring knee injuries as well as the unsympathetic judgements of his peers, who have questioned his commitment to national duty.

The thaw now appears complete, with Hewitt having approached Philippoussis's coach Peter McNamara last October to ask if there was anything he could do to help his countryman recover from yet another knee trauma.

McNamara suggested an occasional doubles relationship. "They'd complement each other: one guy never misses a ball, and the other guy hits it so hard you can never get it back, so what more do you want?" McNamara said.

Although Hewitt has joined with Todd Woodbridge for the past two Davis Cup doubles rubbers, Philippoussis and Wayne Arthurs have not been eliminated from contention.

Swedish captain Mats Wilander has nominated Plexipave, which is a similar hardcourt to the Decoturf II used at the United States Open, for the April 4-6 quarter-final, and Fitzgerald will stick with his usual practice of finalising his doubles pair after the first two singles rubbers.

Despite having lost the doubles point to Brazilians Gustavo Kuerten and Andre Sa in the first-round tie, Jonas Bjorkman and Magnus Larsson are again the likely Swedish combination at the 3800-seat Baltiska Hallen in Malmo, with Bjorkman also the frontrunner for one singles berth.

Australia leads 6-2 overall, but last won in Sweden in 1981. Since then, the Swedes have compiled two 5-0 home routs, on carpet in 1992 and clay in 1985.

By choosing Plexipave, despite Hewitt and Philippoussis having both reached a US Open final, the Swedes appear to be playing to their own strengths and recognising the all-court versatility of their opponents, whose past three home ties have been staged on grass, hardcourt and clay.

Meanwhile, in Scottsdale, wildcards Philippoussis and Hewitt were drawn to meet Argentinians David Nalbandian and Sebastian Prieto in the first round this morning.

Hewitt had not been due to return to tournament play until next week in Indian Wells, but sought a late singles wildcard to try to ward off Andre Agassi's challenge - he is now within 30 points - for the No.1 ranking the Australian has held for 68 consecutive weeks.

Hewitt plays Fernando Vicente in the first round, while Philippoussis, another discretionary entry by virtue of his injury-ravaged ranking, will meet seventh seed Juan Ignacio Chela.

Scott Draper qualified as a lucky loser, and plays Bjorkman.

Hewitt feeling the heat
By JOHN THIRSK
01mar03

AFTER 68 consecutive weeks at the top of the tennis mountain, Lleyton Hewitt is under intense pressure to keep his world No. 1 ranking.

The Wimbledon champion will play his first tournament, since his fourth round exit at the Australian Open, next week in Scottsdale, Arizona – holding just a 135-point buffer over arch-rival Andre Agassi.

The two best players in the world will be seeded one and two respectively in Scottsdale.

Then it will be a shout with Agassi and company at two Tennis Masters Series events at Indian Wells and Miami.

Hewitt won last year at Indian Wells and reached the semi-finals in Miami and he will need to equal those results if he is to maintain his points advantage over Agassi.

At this time Hewitt does not make the top 10 in the ATP 2003 championship points race, having played only the Australian Open.

The Tennis Masters Cup will be held in Houston in November, where Hewitt will attempt to win the final for a third consecutive year after victories in Sydney (2001) and Shanghai last year.

The 32-year-old Agassi is the hottest player on the circuit, undefeated in two events this year and looking rejuvenated under the inspired coaching of Hewitt's former coach, young Australian Darren Cahill.


Hewitt's Davis Cup teammate, Mark Philippoussis, will also compete in Scottsdale, where he won in 1997.

It's Philippoussis's third event since the Davis Cup victory over Great Britain on February 9 and follows disappointing results in San Jose and Memphis.


The current US Open champion Pete Sampras has decided to put his much anticipated return on hold.

Since the Davis Cup, Hewitt has stuck to his 2003 plans and is gunning mainly for the four grand slams as his major mission along with winning the Davis Cup this year.

"He took a couple of weeks off after Davis Cup and went to Belgium with his girlfiend Kim [Clijsters]," said his father Glynn yesterday.

"He's been practising for the last week, but a cold has set him back a bit and he's been taking it easy until this week."  WORLD No. 1 Serena Williams has withdrawn from the WTA State Farm Classic at Scottsdale with tendonitis in her left knee.