Lleyton Hewitt of Australia as he plays Novak Djokovic. AP Photo/Dita Alangkara
Although one will see a lot more of world number five, Juan Martin Del Potro, it seems Lleyton Hewitt will also hang around a little longer after his comprehensive 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 victory over the young Argentine.
On form, Del Potro would have no doubt cast Hewitt aside on any surface, but the 20 year old hit a brick wall in a championship where he was thought to be a major threat against the likes of Federer and co.
That brick wall took the form of Hewitt, who wound the clock back to play a game of tennis reminiscent of his glory days in the early years of the new millennium.
Hewitt’s groundstrokes were accurate and powerful, whilst his net play was also a key component in his upset victory.
Although his service game struggled as the match wore on, it was enough to cause Del Potro’s game great strife.
There were some service games where Del Potro looked so imposing, yet he never got out of first gear.
That was because Hewitt never let him.
The two time Grand Slam winner was able to counter any form of momentum that his opponent was achieving, and in turn, make it his own.
Only Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have been known to possess such skill against high quality opponents.
But it was Hewitt’s turn to showcase to the tennis world that he is far from a spent force.
One only had to watch the third set to see why.
With Hewitt serving for the match at 5-4, Del Potro finally adapted to his current situation and played accordingly to register the break back.
It was a moment that could have easily laid the platform for a Del Potro revival that would have been very difficult to stop.
However, the championship qualities that come with two Grand Slam titles shone through for Hewitt, as he registered the break back in commanding fashion.
With the match on a knifes edge, Hewitt proved to be far too clinical for Del Potro, and immediately closed the door on the Argentine’s chances of an unlikely win.
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