Hewitt's good win in MC Masters

[Donny]

Hewitt into third round

From correspondents in Monte Carlo - Fox


LLEYTON HEWITT staged a sensational comeback, recovering from a set down and saving a match point to beat Argentina's Gaston Gaudio 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 to reach the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters today.

The fiesty 16th seed, known throughout the sport for his never-say-die spirit, called on all of his fighting qualities to keep his hopes of the title here alive.

"I was a little bit lucky but I just hung in there because he hardly made an error in the first set," said Hewitt who finished the 2hr 20min match with 28 winners against 52 unforced errors.

He had lost his last meeting to Gaudio in Barcelona on clay two years ago and this match seemed to be heading the same way especially when he slipped to 3-0 down in the second set.

He had already been broken twice in the opening set in the fourth and sixth games before he hit a lazy backhand to give his 25-year-old opponent the set after only 30 minutes.

But in the second, the fightback began.

Hewitt battled back to 3-1 and then was handed a warning for swearing in the sixth game but he was fired up levelling the set at 5-5 when Gaudio was serving for the match.

He was immediately broken again to let Gaudio lead to 6-5, but Hewitt stood firm, battled back to save a match point before taking the tie-break.

Gaudio's game fell apart in the final set with the Australian storming to a 4-0 lead and then taking the match when Gaudio netted a return.

Hewitt, who has enjoyed famous clay court wins in the Davis Cup over Gustavo Kuerten and Albert Costa in the past, will now take on either fourth seeded German Rainer Schuettler or French qualifier Jean-Rene Lisnard in the next round.

Britain's Tim Henman served and volleyed his way into the third round with a 6-3 6-7 (8-10) 6-3 victory over Spanish clay court specialist David Sanchez.

Henman, a semi-finalist in 2002, needed 2hr 2min to clinch his win although he gave his fans here a few nervous moments in the closing stages when he squandered two match points in the seventh game of the final set.

But he held his nerve to take the match with a running forehand volley and will now take on ninth seeded Nicolas Massu of Chile.

It was Henman's second career win over Sanchez having beaten him on the hard courts of Doha in January and his positive approach to the match here, where he hit 51 winners, paid handsome dividends.

Third-seeded Argentinian Guillermo Coria confirmed his position as favourite for the title when he eased into the third round with a 6-0 6-3 win over Germany's Nicolas Kiefer.

With the world's top two Roger Federer and Andy Roddick opting not to play here, and with defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero losing to Spanish countryman Alex Corretja, Coria finds himself as the top contender to clinch the title on Sunday.

French Open runner-up Martin Verkerk became the first seeded casualty of the day when he lost 6-3, 6-2 to Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic.

[Donny]

Another Hewitt miracle foiled

From correspondents in Monte Carlo - Fox


LLEYTON HEWITT came close to another miracle escape at the Monte Carlo Masters today before going down to a 6-4 3-6 6-4 third round defeat by German fourth seed Rainer Schuettler.

And Russian Marat Safin took just 67 minutes to wrap up a 6-4 6-2 victory over 33-year-old Aussie Wayne Arthurs, who came into the main draw as a replacement for top seed Andy Roddick. Safin conceded just two break points in the entire match.

Hewitt, seeded 14, had come from a set down in the first round to beat France's Julien Benneteau.

He repeated the escape act, as well as saving two match points, against Gaston Gaudio of Argentina in the second round before finally coming up short against the German.

"At the start of the third set, I probably lost a little sharpness," said Hewitt.

"I didn't have high hopes coming here but I'm getting used to the surface."

However, he will believe it was a match he should have won.

After levelling the match at one set all, Hewitt led 3-0 in the final set before Schuettler mounted his winning recovery after a pulsating 2hrs 23mins on court.

Having exchanged breaks in the fourth and ninth games, it was Schuettler who took the first set with a crucial break in the tenth game.

But in the second set, Hewitt found his range and enjoyed the vital breakthrough to win it 6-3 after 1hr 28min on court with the crowd getting behind the Aussie.

Schuettler's popularity with the crowd wasn't helped when he pulled an instamatic camera from his bag to photograph the spot where he believed a disputed ball had landed out.

He picked up a warning from the umpire for his troubles.

In the final set, Hewitt sped into a 3-0 lead before things went drastically wrong with the German going on to secure victory and a quarter-final clash against Britain's sixth seed Tim Henman, who came back from a set down to defeat Chilean ninth seed Nicolas Massu 3-6 6-4 6-3.

Argentine third seed Guillermo Coria and Safin stayed on course for a semi-final showdown.

Coria clinched a 4-6 6-1 6-4 win over Romania's Andrei Pavel while Safin, battling his way back up the rankings after a 2003 decimated by a wrist injury, cruised past Arthurs 6-4 6-2.

Coria now faces fellow Argentine David Nalbandian, the seventh seed while Safin, the Australian Open runner-up, faces Spain's Alberto Martin.

Nalbandian defeated the only French player left in the draw, Fabrice Santoro 6-3 6-2 while Martin won a gruelling three-set tussle with Agustin Calleri.

Nikolay Davydenko of Russia reached his first career Masters quarter-final with a 6-2 6-2 win over Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic.

Results on the fourth day (prefix number denotes seeding):

Third round

5-Carlos Moya (SPA) bt Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG) 6-4 7-6 (7-4)
4-Rainer Schuettler (GER) bt 16-Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 6-4 3-6 6-4
6-Tim Henman (GBR) bt 9-Nicolas Massu (CHI) 3-6 6-4 6-3
7-David Nalbandian (ARG) bt Fabrice Santoro (FRA) 6-3 6-2
Alberto Martin (SPA) bt Agustin Calleri (ARG) 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-1)
Marat Safin (RUS) bt Wayne Arthurs (AUS) 6-4 6-2
3-Guillermo Coria (ARG) bt Andrei Pavel (ROM) 4-6 6-1 6-4
Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) bt Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) 6-2 6-2

Tonight's (AEST) quarter-final line-up

Safin v Martin
Coria v Nalbandian
Henman v Schuettler
Moya v Davydenko