Lleyton Hewitt outlasts Blaz Kavcic in opening round – SAP Open 2013
Former world number one, Lleyton Hewitt from Australia, made an epic comeback from a set down to outclass the Slovenian challenger, Blaz Kavcic, in a three-set thriller at the SAP Open 2013 on Tuesday. He nudged up a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) victory against the
Slovenian to power into the second round at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event taking place in San Jose, United States.
The Australian legend made a drastic entry at the HP Pavilion. However, he re-ignited his spark in the second set and eventually overpowered Kavcic for the first time in their third encounter. After notching this victory in two hours and 35 minutes, Hewitt
not only avenged his loss at the French Open last season but also lowered trail in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series against the Slovene.
“It was a tough match. There were a lot of momentum changes throughout the match,” said the Aussie in a courtside interview after bagging the match. “He’s a tough player and competitor out there. He’s had a pretty good start to the year as well. It wasn’t
easy. In the end, I was happy to get through.”
The world number 79, Kavcic made a strong entry at this indoor hard court tournament. He drew the first blood in the fourth game and fell at 1-4. The Slovene then held his serves and eventually clicked the opener with a 6-3 win.
Hewitt made a fitting reply in the proceeding set despite suffering the first blow in the third game. He snatched his break back in the sixth game and then got the breakthrough in the last game, ultimately grabbing the equaliser with a 6-4 success.
Currently ranked 112th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Hewitt maintained consistency in his game in the deciding set. He exchanged two breaks of serve and dragged the set to a tie-breaker. The Aussie went berserk in it and
cruised to a 5-0 lead, consequently clinching the decider with a 7-6(4) score line.
Next in line for Hewitt is the third seeded Sam Querrey who received a first round bye after being the top four players at this event.
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