|
|
 |
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE | |
Youth beats experience Hewitt cuts down Agassi, closes in on Kuerten
Updated: Wednesday November 14, 2001 4:16 PM
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Lleyton Hewitt is trying to become the youngest man to end a season at No. 1. Andre Agassi is trying to become the oldest. Midway through the Masters Cup, Hewitt is closer to his goal. Hewitt beat Agassi 6-3, 6-4 in round-robin play at the season-ending tournament on Wednesday to clinch a semifinal berth and near the top ranking. "I'm not thinking about it," the 20-year-old Hewitt said of the ATP Champions Race. "If it happens, it happens -- it would be a great way to finish the year." The U.S. Open champion moved within eight points of No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten (771 to 763) and sent No. 3 Agassi (704) into a must-win match Thursday against Sebastien Grosjean. Also on Thursday, Kuerten plays Juan Carlos Ferrero, and Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic meets Yevgeny Kafelnikov. In Wednesday's other match, Grosjean beat Pat Rafter 7-6 (4), 6-3. That knocked Rafter out of contention for the title at this $3.7 million tournament played indoors on hard courts. Jimmy Connors, at 22 in 1974, was the youngest player to finish a year at No. 1 since the ATP began computer rankings in 1973. Ivan Lendl, at 29 in 1989, was the oldest. Hewitt was brilliant from the baseline Wednesday and his return game was as good as ever against the 31-year-old Agassi, still the premier returner of serve in the game. "I didn't have my game right on range at the start, then I got back into the match," Hewitt said. At one juncture, he broke Agassi's serve four times in a row. "After the way tonight went, he needs to give me advice," said Agassi, owner of seven Grand Slam singles titles. Before 11,566 spectators -- the biggest tennis crowd in Sydney since 1954 -- Agassi double-faulted at 30-40 to hand a 5-3 edge to Hewitt, who held serve to win the first set in 40 minutes. Hewitt didn't let up in the second set, opening it by breaking serve at love and holding for a 2-0 edge. The match ended after 1 hour, 32 minutes, when Agassi put a backhand into the net. Hewitt produced 13 winners in the first set alone, and added eight aces overall. Agassi had three aces and two double faults - both on break points. "I'm pretty hard on myself for every match, regardless of what is on the line. Right now I'm disappointed about the loss -- he had an answer for all my shots today," Agassi said. "With all due respect to the way he played, I think that was a far cry from my best. I have a lot that I need to improve on right now." This is Agassi's first tournament since his wife, Steffi Graf, gave birth last month to their son, Jaden Gil. Agassi was -- like Hewitt now -- just 20 when he won his first season-ending event, the 1990 ATP Tour World Championship. Now Agassi needs to get past Grosjean to have a chance at a title -- and at No. 1, where he finished 1999. Grosjean won their most recent meeting, eliminating Agassi in the French Open quarterfinals in June. "We're going to have a lot of baseline rallies and I will have a chance to step up my level," Agassi said. "If I can qualify for the semis -- it's just one more opportunity to find my best game." Kuerten hasn't played his best for a while, having lost seven of his last eight matches. It's quite a change from how he wrapped up 2000, when he won the Masters Cup by beating Pete Sampras, then Agassi in the semifinals and final. Kuerten lost to Ivanisevic on Tuesday, and No. 2 Hewitt could overtake the three-time French Open champion in the rankings if Kuerten fails to win again here. Players earn 20 points for a victory in each of three round-robin matches, 40 for a semifinal victory, and 50 for a victory in the final.
| |||||||||||||||||||||
