As his backhand winner down the line sent him into tomorrow’s U.S. Open semifinals, Lleyton Hewitt fell face-down on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court, as much from exhaustion as relief. He’d needed all his stamina – and a little luck – to beat Andy Roddick 6-7 (7-5), 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 last night.
After old-guard legends Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi put on a great show Wednesday, rising young stars Hewitt and Roddick showed the sport’s future is pretty bright too. The 20-year-old Hewitt won a five-set classic that lasted three hours and 40 minutes and was aided by a questionable call.
“I don’t worry about it. I’m doing my job,” said Hewitt, who was booed roundly by the crowd. “I wanted to make the semifinals again in Master series, but I haven’t been able to take that next step in a slam. To be in the semis again here, it’s great.”
Hewitt, never the friend of umps and linesmen, got a big break leading 5-4 entering the 10th game of the final set. Roddick, serving to save the match, hit a forehand that caught the line. When chair ump Jorge Dias overruled and called it out, the 19-year-old Roddick lost his cool and the match.
The vexed teen berated Dias, asking, “Are you an absolute moron?” But he was clearly off his game, and Hewitt broke him for the third time, and sealed it with his winner that gave him his second straight U.S. Open semifinal berth, this one vs. Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
It was thick irony, after the hotheaded Hewitt had insulted a chair ump at the French Open and caused a stir when he had a linesman moved last week for calling foot-faults against him, calls he seemingly insinuated were racially motivated. This time, the call went his way.
“Yeah, I do [feel robbed]. I meant it at the time,” Roddick said. “I’m definitely disappointed in myself for letting it do that to me, but I had pretty darn good reason for it. Maybe the more experience I get, I’ll handle it better, but that’s tough to handle.
“That’s not a ball he can saw 100 percent out. If he can say that he’s a liar. There’s no way he would bet his house on that call. Hopefully in the future I won’t blow up.”
Roddick, named to the Davis Cup yesterday, was playing in his record fourth night match at the Open. Clearly his budding rivalry with Hewitt could become one of tennis’ best. They’ve met twice, with Hewitt winning both, including in May at Roland Garros, when Roddick pulled his left hamstring, retiring with the match tied in the third set.
This time, Hewitt just outlasted him, breaking his serve in the pivotal game.
The climactic fifth set went on serve, with Hewitt surviving a marathon ninth point that was at deuce four times and saw Roddick at break-point again and again. But when it came time for Hewitt to break his foe, he did.
Hewitt, small but quick on the baseline, handled Roddick’s 141-mph serve well. Billed the future of U.S. Tennis, his only glaring flaw seems to be fragility. Just this year, he’s suffered cramps, a pulled hamstring and a sprained ankle that he twisted again last night in the first game of the second set.
Last night Hewitt just outlasted him, physically and emotionally.