SYDNEY, Nov 16: Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt beat Patrick Rafter 7-5 6-2 at the Masters Cup on Friday to become the youngest player in the history of the game to end the year as world number one.
At the age of 20 years and eight months, the Australian U.S. Open champion produced his third successive victory in the season-ending tournament to move past Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten in the world rankings.
Hewitt became the youngest year-end number one in the men’s game since American Jimmy Connors, who set the benchmark in 1974 aged 22 years and three months.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Hewitt said. “For me to do it at age 20 and to do it in Australia, you just couldn’t have written a better script.”
The Australian entered the Sydney SuperDome to the theme song from the Rocky movies and wasted little time in delivering the knockout punch to his Davis Cup team mate.
The pair traded service breaks midway through the first set before Hewitt’s superior fitness and accurate ground strokes enabled him to get on top of Rafter, who was suffering an arm injury.
Hewitt got the decisive break in the 11th game when he whipped a backhand cross-court to break Rafter’s serve. He then held his own to take the first set in 51 minutes.
Hewitt immediately took control of the second set, winning the first four games to open up a commanding lead, then allowed Rafter just two games before sealing his place in the history books.
Kuerten had started the tournament 48 points in front of Hewitt but failed to win a single match.
The Brazilian lost 6-2 4-6 6-3 to Yevgeny Kafelnikov in his final round-robin match on Friday, opening the door for Hewitt to overtake him just by beating Rafter.
Kuerten was already out of the running to make the semifinals in the season-ending event but put up a brave effort against Kafelnikov despite suffering a groin strain.
“I don’t feel disappointed, I had a great year,” Kuerten said.
“I was having a lot of problems with my leg and it was tough for me to play but I gave it my best.”
Kuerten began well, breaking Kafelnikov’s opening service game, but proceeded to lose the next 17 points in a row as the Russian raced through the first set in just 21 minutes.
Kuerten twice needed treatment but defied his obvious discomfort to break Kafelnikov’s serve and hold his own to pinch the second set before Kafelnikov reasserted his control in the final set to clinch victory after an hour and 37 minutes.
“I did not expect Gustavo to play so poorly in the first set, but I thin