Lleyton Hewitt prevails over Kei Nishikori in the opening round – Wimbledon Championships 2011
Former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt, ranked 130th in the world, overcame tough resistance from world number 52 Kei Nishikori of Japan, beating the rising youngster 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-7(7), 6-3 in the first round of
Wimbledon Championships at the All England Club in London on Tuesday. The Australian needed three hours and seven minutes to undo his opponent in a marathon match.
Hewitt crushed the Japanese in the first set, breaking him three times and dropping only a single game to win the set 6-1. The Australian hit a single ace and captured 89 percent of the first service points in the opening set.
The former world number 1 won 80 percent of the net approach points in the first set. Hewitt won three of the six break points he received on Nishikori’s serve in the opening set.
The Australian and Japanese exchanged a single break of serve in the second set, taking the score to 6-6 and forcing a tie-break. Hewitt hit a couple of splendid volleys in the tie-break, claiming two mini-breaks and winning it
7-4. The right-handed fired 70 percent of the first serves and two aces in the second set. Hewitt hit two aces and made ten unforced errors in the second set. The Australian converted the one break point he received on the Japanese’s serve and saved one of
the two break points he faced on his own serve in the second set.
Nishikori came roaring in the third set as he broke Hewitt in the second game and consolidated on it to take a 3-0 lead. Hewitt broke back in the ninth game and held his serve in the next game to level the score at 5-5. The set
was taken to a tie-break and Nishikori clinched a late mini-break to win it 9-7. The Japanese delivered 51 percent of the first serves, failing to hit any ace in the third set. The 21-year-old converted 40 percent of the service returns into points in the
third set.
The fourth set saw Hewitt and Nishikori holding their serve in the first six games, squaring off the score at 3-3. After that, it was all Hewitt show as he claimed three successive games, bagging the set 6-3.
Hewitt will meet world number 5 Robin Soderling of Sweden in the second round. The fifth seed beat Philipp Petzschner of Germany in four sets 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(5) in the first round.
The Australian said, talking about this second round opponent, “I'll be right come Thursday. It's going to be another tough test. He's another step up from Nishikori. Especially on this surface, he's a dangerous player.”
This will be the fifth meeting between Hewitt and Soderling. The Australian leads Soderling 3-1 in the head-to-head record.
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