Hewitt beats Potty 6-1 6-4
Good result for LH - regardless of whether this event "counts", as I'm sure he'll take heart from his solid performance here. He is said to have been working on his fitness, and it appears to have given him confidence. We'll see whether his confidence & game can continue to deliver good results at the AO, but for now, congratulations to him.
I like what I've seen of Del Potro's game here & he is no doubt pleased with his practice here before the AO. As a fan of his game, I hope to see the best of his game at the AO.
Australian Lleyton Hewitts wins second AAMI Classic at KooyongAUSTRALIAN favourite Lleyton Hewitt completed the perfect Australian Open preparation with another near flawless performance at Kooyong today.
Hewitt blitzed classy Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro 6-1 6-4 in 66 minutes to win a second AAMI Classic title.
If the 31-year-old Australian can transport this week's Kooyong form down the road to Melbourne Park next week, he will have more players nervous than simply his first round opponent, Serb Janko Tipsarevic.
A fit and firing Hewitt, who won the title at Kooyong two years ago, toyed with the powerful Del Potro, working the world No.7 around the court with his pinpoint ground strokes to completely control the points.
Del Potro was under pressure from the opening game, forced to stave off three break points to hold serve.
But the 198cm Argentine felt the sting of Hewitt's power and precise ground strokes every time he stepped up to serve for the rest of the first set.
Del Potro was 40-0 in the fifth game which underlined Hewitt's resolve to fight for every point irrespective of the scoreline.
A double fault left the Australian Open sixth seed vulnerable again and the eager Australian attacked the net to force another netted backhand for another service break.
Hewitt raced through the first set in just 27 minutes and, typically, never let up his constant in-your-face attacking from the back court.
It shaped as an easy afternoon and another self-belief boost for Hewitt when he smashed through the heavy Del Potro serve again in the second game of the second set.
Only when Hewitt had a stranglehold on the match at 6-1 4-2 did Del Potro find a way to temporarily halt the onslaught.
The 2009 US Open champion finally grabbed a break point on Hewitt's serve and a patient rally exchange eventually allowed Del Potro to put away an easy smash to pull back one service break.When Del Potro pulled back to 4-4, a comeback was on offer.
But Hewitt would have none of that.After Hewitt battling hard to hold serve to edge ahead 5-4, Del Potro slumped to 15-40 and facing two match points.
Del Potro saved one with a crosscourt forehand volley before Hewitt rifled a forehand winner off a second serve to clinch the match.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/tennis/australian-lleyton-hewitts-wins-second-aami-classic-at-kooyong/story-e6frfgao-1226552601414
