Hewitt continues winning streak

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- Lleyton Hewitt rolled to victory Friday in the quarterfinals of the Open Seat Godo clay-court tennis tournament, downing Moroccan Younes El Aynaoui 6-4, 6-2.

Hewitt, the No. 1 seed and top-ranked player in the world, has yet to lose a set at the tournament.

El Aynaoui, seeded sixth, held serve until the ninth game of the first set, when he gave Hewitt the break with a double fault.

"Early on, he was hitting to the corners and the lines," Hewitt said. "But after his double fault, I was able to take my game up another level and break him again in the first game of the second set."

Hewitt said when he arrived in Barcelona that he just wanted to sharpen his clay-court game after losing last week in the first round at Monte Carlo.

"After Monte Carlo, I didn't take a rest, and I've been pounding it out on the practice courts, and it's good to finally see some results," he said.

Albert Costa of Spain and Argentines Gaston Gaudio and Guillermo Canas also advanced to the semifinals.

Canas beat France's Cedric Pioline 7-6 (6), 6-3, and Gaudio added another Spaniard to his list of recent victims, beating Alberto Martin 6-2, 6-4. Martin was fresh from an upset victory over the 2001 Godo champion, Juan Carlos Ferrero. On Thursday, Gaudio beat Carlos Moya in two sets.

"I had an upset stomach today and couldn't eat, so I wasn't 100 percent," Martin said. "I would have had to be in top form to beat Gaudio today. He was playing impeccably."

Gaudio will face Hewitt in Saturday's semifinals.

"It was easier than I expected," Gaudio said. "I've got a tough match ahead. Hewitt's ranked No. 1, but either of us can win."

Spaniards Costa and Alex Corretja are best friends on the tour, but it didn't seem to dampen their competitive spirit in Friday's 3-hour, 17-minute match, which Costa won 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4).

Costa, who won the Godo in 1997, was down 4-1 in the third set, but took advantage of every opportunity, breaking Corretja in the seventh game.

 

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