TENNIS: It was supposed to be a fairytale start to Lleyton Hewitt’s Hopman Cup farewell – but it seems young Czech powerhouse Jiri Vesely didn’t read the script.
The towering Czech edged out the retiring Hewitt in three titanic sets, 6-3 6-7 6-4, to give the Czech Republic a 1-0 lead in their clash with Australia Gold.
Vesely, the world no.41, gave notice of his intentions with his very first serve – a 206kmh thunderbolt and soon rattled to a 4-0 lead over the Australian, resplendent in an Australian-flag themed shirt.
Hewitt got a break back and then held serve in an epic 10-minute battle of attrition that included a foot fault call – something that would return to haunt him at a crucial time as the match neared its climax.
First service percentage – and power – was the main difference in the first set as Vesely put the hammer down to take it 6-3 in just 34 minutes.
The Perth Arena crowd sensed the importance of Hewitt holding his serve in the opening game of the second set and so it proved, with the Australian’s game going from strength to strength.
Hewitt held to lead 6-5, a 146 km/h wide “slider” totally flummoxing the 198cm Czech, who then took the set to a tiebreaker.
The Czech’s big serve looked to be a distinct advantage in the tiebreaker but Hewitt had other ideas playing five brilliant points in a row. He clinched set point with a near miraculous service return forcing a Vesely error and then wrapped it up as the Czech again hit wide.
The deciding set looked to mirror the first as Vesely held and began to dig deep into his bag of tricks – one audacious on-the-run drop volley winner producing a look of incredulity from Hewitt.
But three things are certain in life – death, taxes, and Lleyton Hewitt never giving up and sure enough the 34-year-old dug deep again.
At 2-3 down and 30-30 Hewitt sent down a sizzling ace – only to be called up for another foot fault.
Clearly rattled (“my foot was over the line not on it” he muttered to umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore) some of the heat was taken out of Hewitt’s game. Vesely looked to wrap things up at 5-2 before Hewitt held again, broke the Czech but then lost his serve – and the match.
Afterwards Vesely said he had been expecting a tough match from Hewitt and was not surprised at the veteran’s court speed – or his prowess at picking up his thunderbolt service deliveries.
“I started off well but from the second set it was a 50-50 match,” said the Czech. “I knew his return of service was strong and it was going to make my life tough.”
Vesely was less sure of what to expect in the mixed.”I’ve never played mixed; I really hope Karolina wins quickly so we don’t have all that pressure,” he said.
That pressure reduced considerably when Karolina Pliskova defeated Jarmila Wolfe 7-5 6-3 to provide the Czech Republic with an unassailable 2-0 lead.
HOPMAN CUP
