Lleyton Hewitt made is safely through the first round in his final US Open appearance with a win over Alexandr Nedovyesov, who retired during the second game of the third set.
Hewitt dominated the first set to take it 6-0. The Kazakh player bounced back in the second and took it to a tie-break but the experience of Hewitt prevailed.
Nedovyesov forced to retire through injury, which was no doubt amplified by the scoreline and the blistering New York sun.
Hewitt kept his unforced errors down but he will need to improve his first serve percentage (47%) if he wants to make it to the second week of the tournament.
Hewitt will now take on fellow Australian Bernard Tomic on Friday, Australian time.
Lleyton Hewitt’s final US Open campaign will begin on Wednesday morning as he takes on Aleksandr Nedovyesov for the second time in two months.
This match is a repeat of the famous fifth rubber between Australia and Kazakhstan in the quarter finals of the Davis Cup in July.
Once again it was all down to the South Australian battler, who turned back the years, to defeat Nedovyesov in straight sets. It was a brilliant performance from the former number 1.
Now he has the task of beating him again to prolong his US Open career at Flushing Meadows. The American Grand Slam has been his best event with seven quarter final or better tournaments.
This includes the 2001 US Open title, his first ever Grand Slam win, which happened just days before the September 11 terrorist attacks. Thankfully Hewitt was on a plane home when the tragedy happened.
In that contest he smashed Pete Sampras in what was described as one of his best matches of tennis. From 2000 to 2006 he made at least the quarters, and was a finalist in 2004.
Recently the event has also been successful for him. In 2012 he made the third round, before defeating Juan Martin del Potro on his way to the 4th round in 2013.
He will be looking to repeat that win a win against a player who has struggled since their last meeting.
Nedovyesov, who has predominantly played Challengers, has lost three of his last four matches during that time.
He also hasn’t played on a hard court since the Batman Challenger in April.
This is a dream match-up for Hewitt. He will know how Nedovyesov plays, and has had more preparation on these courts than him.
The key to the match will be his serve. If the South Aussie can land plenty of first serves, then this will be a match he can win. Cheered on by the fanatics, and inspired by playing his last US Open, Hewitt will continue his US Open past the first round.
Prediction – Hewitt 3-1
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