4 January 2014 | Tennis Queensland
Australia’s comeback kid Lleyton Hewitt has once again battled a losing scoreline and hot temperatures to defeat Japan’s second seed Kei Nishikori 5-7 6-4 6-3, and secure a spot in his first final on home soil since Australian Open 2005.
Hewitt, currently world No.60, proved he is back in the form worthy of the top 20, finding his trademark intensity in critical games in the second set to launch the stunning comeback against the awestruck world No.17.
“He’s obviously a great talent,” Hewitt said. “He’s on the way up, he’s only just outside the top 10 and that’s obviously his next goal.”
Hewitt hasn’t won an ATP singles title since Halle in 2010, and if odds are correct he will face the very man he beat to that trophy and one of the sport’s greatest ever challenges, top seed Roger Federer, who takes on Frenchman Jeremy Chardy later on Saturday.
“We’re the same age, we grew up together, we have a lot of respect,” said Hewitt when questioned about the possibility of playing Federer in Sunday’s final.
“He’s had ties to Australian people as coaches, so I’ve known him really well. He’s a great guy and obviously I have the utmost respect for him not just as a player but what he does off the court as well.
”I look forward to the challenge if he does get up this afternoon and tomorrow’s going to be a lot of fun.”
In last year’s semifinal it was knee tendinitis that posed the challenge for Nishikori, and this year it was the soaring on-court temperatures that left both players blanketing themselves in ice packs at every change of ends.
The pair went toe to toe on the scoreboard in the first set, both managing break point opportunities early, but on the court you couldn’t help but feel the heat was robbing the match of the high-energy rallies promised between two of the game’s greatest retrievers.
As the points became shorter, the games followed suit, but a lapse in concentration at 5-all – with too many first serves finding the net – saw Hewitt lose a 40-0 advantage on his serve.
A crafty drop shot followed by a well-executed backhand down-the-line pass clinched the decisive break for Nishikori, who served out the set 7-5 after a painstaking 55 minutes.
But the former world No.1 and Grand Slam Champion – no stranger to a comeback –became the aggressor early in the second and leading 3-2 quickly raced to a 0-40 advantage.
Consecutive Nishikori service games became the longest in the match, in which Hewitt had a total of seven break-point chances, but with Nishikori holding strong under pressure it seemed like a turning-point gone begging for the Australian when the set levelled at 4-all.
But, after saving two break points on his own serve, Hewitt picked his moment, stepping up to the baseline and needing just one set point to steal the set and send the match to a nail-biting decider.
Hewitt’s lift in intensity appeared to have a seesawing effect on Nishikori—broken to love in a service game riddled with errors as the Australian, winning 12 of the first 14 points, raced to a 3-0 lead.
With a forehand winner, Hewitt dropped to his knees in front of an already standing home crowd, serving out the match after an excruciating two hours and 30 minutes.
“I love the battle. You do all the hard work mate [and] you don’t come out here to just go through the motions.
“This is a true test out here, it’s a one-on-one battle and that’s what I love about it. When I do finally retire you’re retired for a very long time, so I’m trying to squeeze absolutely everything I possibly can [out of myself].”
“Mentally this was a massive win today, to come through and bounce back and know that I was going to have to go the distance.”
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