Lleyton Hewitt secures quarter-final birth; Harrison progresses as well – BB&T Atlanta Open 2013
Former world number one, Lleyton Hewitt from Australia, got the better of the local wild card entrant, Rhyne Williams, in straight sets at the BB&T Atlanta Open 2013 on Wednesday. Another local wild card contestant, Christian Harrison, stole the show later that day. He stunned Alejandro Falla to progress at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event being held in Atlanta, United States of America.
The Australian veteran warded off early resilience to record a 7-6(6), 6-4 victory against Williams in the second round. Both contestants were battling each other for the first time and after registering this victory, Hewitt edged in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series by 1-0 against the 22-year-old.
Seeded seventh in this event, Hewitt made a strong start in this battle. He drew the first blood in the seventh game and leaped to a 5-3 lead. Despite failing to serve out the set in the 10th game, the Aussie remained calm and took the set to a tie-breaker. He cruised to a 5-1 lead in it before closing out the opener with a 7-6(6) score line.
Currently ranked 64th in the Emirates Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Hewitt kept momentum strolling in the following set. He swiftly plucked his entire serves with poise and got the breakthrough in the last game, subsequently sealing the set by winning six games to four.
The 19-year-old Harrison on the other hand made his ATP World Tour singles debut win against the Colombian star. He lost his concentration towards the end of the second set but re-gained his strength afterwards, eventually sealing the deal with a 6-1, 6-7(7), 6-2 score line in two hours and 11 minutes.
“I think whenever I got in the position to win the second set, I got hesitant… I let the nerves show a little bit,” said the beaming American teenager in a post match press conference. “I still believed in myself in the third, trusted that I could get it done if I just gave myself another opportunity.”
Next in line for Harrison is his top seeded compatriot, John Isner, in the second round.
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