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Aussies win in Alps Hewitt, Philippoussis lead Aussies past Swiss
ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) -- Hard-fought victories by Lleyton Hewitt and Mark Philippoussis lifted Australia to a 3-2 victory over Switzerland in their Davis Cup tie Sunday and salvaged the honor of the defending champions. Philippoussis struggled through a 3 hour, 40 minute marathon against an unexpectedly strong George Bastl finally taking the match 6-7 (3), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. In a 2 1/2 hour duel between the top two teenagers on the men's circuit, Hewitt defeated Roger Federer 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1. Both Australians were stars of last year's Davis Cup victory over the United States -- the country's 27th title. The Swiss team, by contrast, was inexperienced and weakened by internal disputes with captain Jakob Hlasek, culminating in the exclusion of Davis Cup veteran Marc Rosset. The Australians came here expecting to trounce the underdogs, only to find themselves 1-2 down and on the verge of elimination following their shock loss in Saturday's doubles. Even though the Swiss lost Sunday, their performance looked set to ensure that the Swiss men will finally emerge from the shadow of Swiss women's tennis star Martina Hingis. Hewitt, 18, restored the psychological advantage with his win over Federer, also 18, setting up a nail-biting finish. Philippoussis, the heavy favorite heading into the decisive match, appeared determined to put a quick end to the stressful weekend, jumping out to a 3-0 lead. But Bastl battled back to even the score before forcing the tiebreak. Philippoussis fought back to convert his first break opportunity in the second set to take a 5-4 lead, then held to even the contest. The Australian squandered five break points in the third set, opening the door for Bastl, who broke in the second game to take a 2-1 lead. Philippoussis finally broke early in the fourth to jump ahead 3-1, but Bastl, lifted by the sold-out crowd's wild cheers, immediately recovered his serve. Philippoussis returned from the change-over break regalvanized and recorded the decisive break with a return down the line to take a 2-1 lead in the fifth and final set, then refused to give quarter, holding serve to close out the match. "I just hung in there," said Philippoussis, who led Australia to the Davis Cup title exactly two months ago. "I waited for my opportunity, and at 2-2 I started to get the momentum going. "It was a tough match and I said right from the start whoever I play will be tough," he said. Bastl, No. 75 in the old ATP rankings system, said it was a "big disappointment." "We were in a good position to win," he said. The comeback win prevented Australia from becoming the sixth Davis Cup champion to have been eliminated in the opening round the next year.
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