Lleyton Hewitt came out flat but pulled himself up by the bootstraps to produce an impressive 1-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 victory over Finland's Jarkko Nieminen and earn himself a highly anticipated fourth round clash with two-time champion Rafael Nadal.
As in the previous round against Argentine Gaston Gaudio, Hewitt was incredibly solid in closing the contest out, mixing hard two-handed backhands, rolling forehands and deft drop shots.
The 26-year-old Australian had trouble with the Finn's huge lefty forehand during long periods of the match, but was able to focus on the latter's backhand and kept him from dominating the net.
Playing the lefty Nieminen should be good tune up for Hewitt, who nearly knocked out Nadal in the Hamburg semi/finals and has had decent success against the Spaniard in the past. Hewitt is not the dominator he was back in 2001 and 2002 when he won two Grand Slams and took over the No.1 ranking, but he is still a dogged competitor who likes to match wits with the elite.
“I played a great first set, put pressure on him and it turned into a dogfight in the end,” Hewitt said of the 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 loss to Nadal in Hamburg. “It could have gone either way. It definitely gives me confidence. He's been the standout clay court player over the last three years. Not many guys have come that close to him.”
Hewitt has been without a full-time coach since Roger Rasheed resigned in January, but has been receiving aid from his former coach, Darren Cahill, who is also the Australian Davis Cup coach, as well as Davis captain John Fitzgerald. For a player who did not "grow up" on clay, Hewitt been consistent at Roland Garros, reaching the second week six times, but has never been able to punch his way past the quarterfinals. He has, however, reached the final of every other major.
“I feel pretty strong out there,” said the No.14 seed. “I've been putting in the hard yards. I'd like to think I've still got a crack at it.”
