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| June 25, 2005 | Saturday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 17, 1426 |
Hewitt back with a bang, but curtains for Safin
LONDON, June 24: Lleyton Hewitt was back to near his Wimbledon best on Friday after an injury nightmare, but Marat Safin was out of sorts losing in straight sets to Spain’s Feliciano Lopez in the third round.
Also through into the last 16 was burly American Taylor Dent, who scored a straight sets win over Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic and he will next go up against the Australian third seed for a place in the quarterfinals.
Second seed Andy Roddick was given a fright by Italian qualifier Daniele Bracciali in a second round tie held over from Thursday evening.
The players resumed at two sets to one for the American, but Bracciali took the tie into a fifth set before Roddick’s big serve pulled him through 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 4-6, 6-3 just before the rain came down and halted play for the day.
Hewitt defeated big American Justin Gimelstob 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 7-5 proving that he has fully recovered from foot and rib injuries that sidelined him for three months.
Gimelstob flung himself about at the net in the manner of Boris Becker at his prime, but he had no answer to the shot-making abilities of the 2002 Wimbledon champion.
“I can still play better, but it’s nice to be into the fourth round,” said Hewitt.
“I have had to play a lot of tight points which is good for me when you have to play guys like Federer and Dent in the next few rounds.”
Safin’s fine run to the final in Halle, and his opening two ties here, had raised hopes among his many fans that he had finally put his dislike for grass behind him and was ready to mount a real challenge for his third Grand Slam title.
But in Lopez he found a rare Spaniard who likes to serve and volley and that, linked to his own failings, resulted in a suprisingly one-sided affair, Lopez winning 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.
“I didn’t take my opportunities and I couldn’t adapt my game to him. I just didn’t play well enough to win,” said Safin.
“I have played well over the last few weeks. It was not my day today but I am satisfied that I have found my game on grass at last. I think I was a little unlucky with the draw but I have nothing to complain about.
“It’s impossible to play my best tennis every day.”
Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez underlined his growing menace with an impressive straight sets win 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 over the highly-fancied Joachim Johansson of Sweden.
In the women’s tournament, third seed Amelie Mauresmo of France powered into the last 16 barely breaking sweat in her 6-0, 6-2 demolition of overmatched American Shenay Perry.
The 25-year-old Frenchwoman, still in search of her first Grand Slam title, has dropped just 11 games in three matches and she will rarely get an easier outing than she did against the Florida player.
Mauresmo will next play Elena Likhovtseva of Russia, who hit back to defeat Silvia Farina Elia of Italy, for a place in the quarter-finals.
Mauresmo believes that she finally has the confidence to reach a second Grand Slam final after her breakthrough in 1999 at the Australian Open when she lost the title match to Martina Hingis.
“It’s been a long time since I played in that final,” she said.
“It was very different for me. I was only 19 and didn’t know exactly what I was doing.
It was an American victim also for sixth seeded Elena Dementieva of Russia who trounced Mashona Washington 7-5, 6-1 and will go on to play her compatriot Anastasia Myskina in a re-run of last year’s French Open final..
Myskina, who triumphed that day, came out top in a see-saw marathon 6-0, 5-7, 10-8 against Jelena Jankovic of Serbia finally converting on her third match point.
Also through went 30-year-old Bulgarian veteran Magdaleena Maleeva who had too much savvy for Italy’s Antonella Serra Zanetti winning 6-3, 6-2.
She will next play US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, the fifth seed, who struggled yet again but held on to defeat 16-year-old Czech hope Nicole Vaidisova 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2.
Results:
Women’s singles, thirrd round:
Amelie Mauresmo (FRA x3) bt Shenay Perry (USA) 6-0, 6-2; Elena Dementieva (RUS x6) bt Mashona Washington (USA) 7-5, 6-1; Magdalena Maleeva (BUL) bt Antonella Serra Zanetti (ITA) 6-3, 6-2; Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x5) bt Nicole Vaidisova (CZE x27) 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2; Elena Likhovtseva (RUS x13) bt Silvia Farina Elia (ITA x22) 5-7, 6-4, 6-4; Anastasia Myskina (RUS x 9) bt Jelena Jankovic (SEM x17) 6-0, 5-7, 10-8.
Men’s singles, second round:
Andy Roddick (USA x2) bt Daniele Bracciali (ITA) 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 4-6, 6-3
Men’s singles, third round: Feliciano Lopez (ESP x26) bt Marat Safin (RUS x5) 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3; Taylor Dent (USA x24) bt Tomas Berdych (CZE) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3; Lleyton Hewitt (AUS x3) bt Justin Gimelstob (USA) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 7-5; Fernando Gonzalez (CHI x21) bt Joachim Johansson (SWE x11) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2; Mario Ancic (CRO x10) bt Gael Monfils (FRA) 6-3, 6-3, 6-1
Unfinished: Mikhail Youzhny (RUS x31) leads Jonas Bjorkmann (SWE) 7-5, 6-3, 3-6, 4-4.—Agencies
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