Medibank International Sydney Tennis - Australian Open Series

Nalbandian too good for Hewitt

AAP Thursday 15 January 2009 Comments

Lleyton Hewitt’s run at the Medibank International Sydney has come to an end, the former world No.1 going down to David Nalbandian.

The Argentine was too consistent for Hewitt, downing him 7-6 (7-3) 7-5.

Hewitt showed his usual tenacity in a tight first set, having his serve broken twice only to bounce straight back.

But Nalbandian’s polished all-court game gave him the edge in the tiebreak before the former Wimbledon finalist broke early in the second set.

While Hewitt dug deep to break the Argentine to love when he served for the match, Nalbandian sealed the result three games later.

Hewitt though, will be well pleased with his return following a five-month lay-off with a hip injury.

The two-time grand slam champion has enjoyed a solid hit-out, getting three matches in Sydney and another three singles fixtures at the Hopman Cup, winning four from six.

His next challenge is out of his hands – getting a decent Australian Open draw when it is announced on Friday.

For the first time since the 2000 Australian Open, Hewitt will be unseeded in a grand slam he’s competing in.

It leaves him open to drawing the best players in the world from the first round.

Meanwhile, Nalbandian will meet Frenchman Richard Gasquet in a semi-final on Friday.

Gasquet was a 6-2 7-6 (7-4) winner over fellow Frenchman Jeremy Chardy on Thursday.

Tags: David Nalbandian, Lleyton Hewitt, Richard Gasquet

You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.