Thursday, August 05, 2004
Guardian Unlimited Sport | Tennis | Hewitt the bogeyman bounces out HenmanTennis
Hewitt the bogeyman bounces out Henman
Richard Jago in Cincinnati
Friday August 6, 2004
The Guardian
Tim Henman's Olympic medal chances took a leap even though he was beaten by his nemesis, Lleyton Hewitt, for the eighth time out of eight yesterday. The 6-1, 6-4 defeat denied Henman a place in the quarter-finals of the Masters Series here but he had already been assured a top-four place in the Athens seedings as Guillermo Coria, the world No3 from Argentina, had pulled out of the games with a bad shoulder.
That happened late the night before, when Henman came from within two points of defeat to beat Hicham Arazi 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 before a couple of hundred people, a thousand insects and assorted barn owls and brown bats on an outside court at one o'clock in the morning. This appeared to have drained Henman for his tussle with Hewitt. He won only 10 points in the first set and was out of it from the fifth game of the second, when the former world No1 broke the Briton's serve yet again.
Henman was hardly himself, complaining of stiffness and trying to win points more quickly than was judicious . Hewitt was too intense, too good at threading the needle when presented with a small target by a net-rusher and far too energetic. He was also generous to Henman after it was over. "Getting to bed at two or three o'clock and having to come out and play knowing I wasn't going to give him cheap points, and to have that at the back of your mind, that only helped me," Hewitt said.
The dry, bright air also made a far-from-easy contrast with the setting and the circumstances of the night before against Arazi. Dark and war-like clouds had twice arrowed down rain, forcing the players to flee for cover and extending their contest over three hours.
Meanwhile Greg Rusedski's run of four victories in the Masters Series ended when he lost for the second time in three years to Tommy Robredo but he flies from the Ohio valley to the marshy humidity of Washington with an inviting new vista in his mind. He is close to regaining a foothold on the main tour, despite looking jaded during a 7-6, 7-6 defeat by the Spanish Davis Cup player. Since coming to North America after Wimbledon Rusedski has won 12 matches out of 15, leaving his body aching but a top-50 place significantly nearer.
Hewitt the bogeyman bounces out Henman
Richard Jago in Cincinnati
Friday August 6, 2004
The Guardian
Tim Henman's Olympic medal chances took a leap even though he was beaten by his nemesis, Lleyton Hewitt, for the eighth time out of eight yesterday. The 6-1, 6-4 defeat denied Henman a place in the quarter-finals of the Masters Series here but he had already been assured a top-four place in the Athens seedings as Guillermo Coria, the world No3 from Argentina, had pulled out of the games with a bad shoulder.
That happened late the night before, when Henman came from within two points of defeat to beat Hicham Arazi 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 before a couple of hundred people, a thousand insects and assorted barn owls and brown bats on an outside court at one o'clock in the morning. This appeared to have drained Henman for his tussle with Hewitt. He won only 10 points in the first set and was out of it from the fifth game of the second, when the former world No1 broke the Briton's serve yet again.
Henman was hardly himself, complaining of stiffness and trying to win points more quickly than was judicious . Hewitt was too intense, too good at threading the needle when presented with a small target by a net-rusher and far too energetic. He was also generous to Henman after it was over. "Getting to bed at two or three o'clock and having to come out and play knowing I wasn't going to give him cheap points, and to have that at the back of your mind, that only helped me," Hewitt said.
The dry, bright air also made a far-from-easy contrast with the setting and the circumstances of the night before against Arazi. Dark and war-like clouds had twice arrowed down rain, forcing the players to flee for cover and extending their contest over three hours.
Meanwhile Greg Rusedski's run of four victories in the Masters Series ended when he lost for the second time in three years to Tommy Robredo but he flies from the Ohio valley to the marshy humidity of Washington with an inviting new vista in his mind. He is close to regaining a foothold on the main tour, despite looking jaded during a 7-6, 7-6 defeat by the Spanish Davis Cup player. Since coming to North America after Wimbledon Rusedski has won 12 matches out of 15, leaving his body aching but a top-50 place significantly nearer.
