Battling Aussie Lleyton keeps his SW19 challenge alight

Australian pocket rocket Lleyton Hewitt continued his hot streak at Wimbledon by seeing off Germany’s Philipp Petzschner to safely make it into the last 16.

Thriving in the sweltering conditions, Hewitt, the 2002 champion, reached the fourth round yesterday, for the sixth year in succession, with a
7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 win over Petzschner, and immediately talked up his chances at this year’s tournament.

“It’s not easy to reach the fourth round for a sixth year in a row, but a Grand Slam isn’t won in the first three rounds,” said Hewitt who now meets Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic for a place in the quarter-finals “It’s all about finding a way through the first week. The draw opens up and you never know what might happen.”

The 28-year-old Australian, steadily rebuilding his career after a lengthy lay-off following hip surgery, has yet to drop a set and showed why he is such a danger by putting out Argentine fifth seed Juan Martin Del Potro in the second round.

Stepanek, the 23rd seed, defeated Spain’s David Ferrer, the 16th seed, 7-5, 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4 as he looks to improve on his quarter-final showing in 2006.

Elsewhere, German veteran Tommy Haas demanded Wimbledon install floodlights and introduce final-set tiebreakers after winning a marathon five-set third round clash over Marin Cilic.

The 31-year-old German beat the 11th seeded Croatian 7-5, 7-5, 1-6, 6-7 (3/7), 10-8 in a four-and-a-half-hour marathon which had started on Friday afternoon but had been held over for bad light.

“I don’t know why they don’t have lights here. I have never stopped a match a 6-6 before in the final set. It’s tough to come back but I’m happy to get through,” Haas said. “I think they should be like the US Open and have a tie-break in the final set. I could hardly get out of bed today, but the adrenaline took over.”

Haas, who won the Halle grass court tournament two weeks ago, will now face Russian 29th seed Igor Andreev who beat Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-1, 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 7-6 (7/5) in another match held over.

Haas did have two match points in the fourth set tie-break on Friday before 20-year-old Cilic had two match points of his own in the 12th game of the decider before play was halted.

Meanwhile, Tomas Berdych, the Czech 20th seed, pulled off his first win over Russian 12th seed Nikolay Davydenko, after eight defeats, with a comfortable 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 win. He said: “If there are more tournaments on grass, it would be better for me. But the grass is just for one month in the year.

“I like to play here. The courts are good for me.”

Berdych, a quarter-finalist in 2007, now faces two-time runner-up Andy Roddick, who saw off the challenge of 26th seed Jurgen Melzer on Centre Court 7-6 (7/2) 7-6 (7/2) 4-6 6-3 for a place in the quarter-finals.

The American overcame two tie-breaks and a dropped set to see off his Austrian opponent in just under three hours.

Sorce:http://www.7days.ae

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