2011 Hopman Cup: Review Session 1 – Ruben Bemelmans vs. Lleyton Hewitt
Kicking off the 23rd edition of the Hopman Cup (HC) was the third seeded team Belgium as they met the unseeded team Australia. A mixed teams event, the Hopman Cup is the first event on the International Tennis Federation’s
(ITF) circuit.
With eight teams competing at the event, the participants, divided in two groups of four, follow a round robin format with the top two from each group advancing into the semis. Each session at the event consists of two singles
and one mixed doubles match. Session one had Australians’ Lleyton Hewitt and Alicia Molik pitted against Belgians Justine Henin and Ruben Bemelmans.
Starting the first session on New Year’s Day was world number twelve Henin playing world number 90, Molik. In a hard fought battle, Henin did away with Molik by a twin set score of 6-4, 6-4 to secure a 1-0 lead for Belgium.
Playing next on the courts were Hewitt and Bemelmans. Each player desperately wanted a win though for different reasons. The Belgian wanted a win to secure a 2-0 win over the hosts, while Hewitt needed to win this to keep Australia
still in the game.
Ranked 55th in the world, this is Hewitt’s third straight participation at the event since 2009 partnering Casey Dellacqua. This was Hewitt’s first match after having a hip surgery in 2008. Partnering Samantha Stosur,
Hewitt returned to the HC in 2010 as the top seeded team. However, suffering losses from Romania and eventual champions Spain, Australia failed to make it to the finals. The team of Molik and Hewitt also played at the 2003 Hopman Cup making it all the way
to the finals before losing 3-0 to the United States team of Serena Williams and James Blake.
With a win loss mark of 22-12, Lleyton finished 2010 with a title win at Halle coupled with a wrist injury and a retirement after the Davis Cup (DC). This is his second meeting on the court with Bemelmans having played him before
in the Australia vs. Belgium DC match. In a tooth and nail battle between the two, Bemelmans eventually lost 6-7(4-7), 5-7, 6-2, 4-6 to Hewitt though Belgium managed a win against Australia.
In a rematch of the DC playoffs, Hewitt managed to up his career lead against Bemelmans to 2-0, defeating the Belgian in straight sets. In a match that lasted one hour and 57 minutes, Hewitt served three aces with four double faults
to secure a 6-4, 6-3 victory. In both sets, the score was tied until 4-4 and 3-3 respectively, with each player winning games on their service. However, given the superior skill set and the home court advantage, Hewitt was able to break Bemelmans’ serve and
then win on his own to secure a set win. Hewitt’s win levelled the score between Belgium and Australia bringing it down to the deciding mixed doubles match.
This was Hewitt’s first match after seeking retirement in 2010 due to a wrist injury. Delighted after a win, Hewitt said, "It's always tough the first match of the year. Especially, it doesn't matter how many practice sets you
play out there, getting that match toughness back isn't easy. He was actually the last bloke that I played last year; it was nice to beat him in the Davis Cup now playing for Australia here at the Hopman Cup in Perth as well I'm just happy to get through in
straight sets being down break points and getting out of those situations, that's stuff you can't buy. He's a difficult opponent, he's a big ball striker and his backhand's improved since I played him in the Davis Cup last time.”
In the deciding mixed doubles match, team of Henin and Bemelmans rushed to a breadstick win in the first set. However, Hewitt and Molik bounced back in the second with a 6-3 win taking the match into a tiebreak. Although Belgians
initially led the tiebreak by 4-2, they eventually lost it 10-8.
Hewitt next plays world number three, Novak Djokovic on Tuesday for Australia versus Serbia while Bemelmans plays Andrey Golubev for Belgium versus Kazakhstan.
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