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Lleyton Hewitt will look to continue his positive preparation for the Australian Open when he plays world no.6 Tomas Berdych at the Kooyong Classic this afternoon. Join us for live scores and commentary from 1:00pm AEDT.
Hewitt got his Kooyong campaign off to a flying start yesterday, beating the big serving Canadian Milos Raonic in three sets.
Despite the ten year age difference, Hewitt went toe to toe with Raonic and demonstrated why he remains one of the finest returners of serve on the ATP tour.
The Australian will need to return well again today if he is to upset Australian Open contender Berdych.
Berdych had a solid year in 2012, knocking out Roger Federer en route to a maiden US Open semi-final appearance to go along with a quarter-final appearance at the Australian Open.
The former Wimbledon finalist however has experienced a lean start to 2013 after suffering an early exit at the Chennai Open, losing to unheralded Spaniard R. Bautista-Agut.
Prediction
Berdych is one of the cleanest strikers of the ball on the ATP tour, capable of generating consistent power from both the forehand and backhand side.
His serve is also a potent weapon, capable of generating speeds of over 200km/h.
At his best, Berdych should be expected to overpower Hewitt given the high range of quality shots the Czech has at his disposal.
After his poor performance in Chennai however, Berdych is no certainity to get the better of Hewitt this afternoon.
Hewitt loves playing in front of his home crowd and invariably rises to the occasion against any player.
If Hewitt manages to play extended rallies on a constant basis this afternoon, expect the Australian to eventually grind his way to a tough three-set win.
Hewitt in three sets.