Hewitt, Ferrer capture titles
Source: Agencies |
January 16, 2011, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FORMER world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt defeated an ailing Gael Monfils 7-5, 6-3 to win the invitational Kooyong Classic in Melbourne yesterday and take a timely shot of confidence into next week's Australian Open.
Hewitt appeared in great touch to wrap up the match in 89 minutes, but the 12th-ranked Frenchman was clearly restricted in his movement and grimaced repeatedly when chasing down returns on a steamy day at Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club.
Monfils said in the lead-up to the tournament he had struggled to recover from a knee injury in the wake of France's Davis Cup final loss to Serbia last month, but it was a back problem that afflicted him yesterday.
"I felt something," Monfils told reporters. "I hope it's not major. That's why I took it easy in the end. I started to feel it more but I think it should be okay."
Twice grand slam champion Hewitt, coming back after three months off to recover from a hand injury, will take heart from three successive victories at Kooyong, where he also beat Russians Nikolay Davydenko and world No. 10 Mikhail Youzhny.
"It's as good as I could have done," Hewitt told reporters. "The last two weeks I've done everything possible for me.
"I feel like my game is where I wanted it to be 10 weeks ago and physically I feel good, which is a good thing.
"We feel like we've done the best preparation possible," he added.
The 29-year-old's ranking has drifted to 54 but he is adamant he still has the game to trouble the top players at Melbourne Park.
In Sydney, Gilles Simon has beaten fourth-seeded Victor Troicki of Serbia 7-5, 7-6 (4) in the final of the Sydney International to collect his eighth career title. It was the second title in three months for unseeded Simon, who could face Roger Federer in the second round of the Australian Open next week.
After losing the first set, Troicki was a double break up at 3-0 up in the second set before losing six of the next nine games and the tiebreaker.
In New Zealand, top-seeded David Ferrer signaled his threat for next week's Australian Open and claimed his second Auckland Open title with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Argentina's David Nalbandian in the final.
The Spaniard, ranked No. 7 in the world, added to the title he won in 2007 when he eclipsed the former world No 3, Nalbandian in just 68 minutes.
In Australia, Jarmila Groth won the Hobart International in front of her home fans, a 6-4, 6-3 victory over American Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
The sixth-seeded Groth had seven double-faults in the windy conditions but overcame her service problems with some big returns and clinched her second WTA title, adding to Guangzhou last year.
Hewitt appeared in great touch to wrap up the match in 89 minutes, but the 12th-ranked Frenchman was clearly restricted in his movement and grimaced repeatedly when chasing down returns on a steamy day at Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club.
Monfils said in the lead-up to the tournament he had struggled to recover from a knee injury in the wake of France's Davis Cup final loss to Serbia last month, but it was a back problem that afflicted him yesterday.
"I felt something," Monfils told reporters. "I hope it's not major. That's why I took it easy in the end. I started to feel it more but I think it should be okay."
Twice grand slam champion Hewitt, coming back after three months off to recover from a hand injury, will take heart from three successive victories at Kooyong, where he also beat Russians Nikolay Davydenko and world No. 10 Mikhail Youzhny.
"It's as good as I could have done," Hewitt told reporters. "The last two weeks I've done everything possible for me.
"I feel like my game is where I wanted it to be 10 weeks ago and physically I feel good, which is a good thing.
"We feel like we've done the best preparation possible," he added.
The 29-year-old's ranking has drifted to 54 but he is adamant he still has the game to trouble the top players at Melbourne Park.
In Sydney, Gilles Simon has beaten fourth-seeded Victor Troicki of Serbia 7-5, 7-6 (4) in the final of the Sydney International to collect his eighth career title. It was the second title in three months for unseeded Simon, who could face Roger Federer in the second round of the Australian Open next week.
After losing the first set, Troicki was a double break up at 3-0 up in the second set before losing six of the next nine games and the tiebreaker.
In New Zealand, top-seeded David Ferrer signaled his threat for next week's Australian Open and claimed his second Auckland Open title with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Argentina's David Nalbandian in the final.
The Spaniard, ranked No. 7 in the world, added to the title he won in 2007 when he eclipsed the former world No 3, Nalbandian in just 68 minutes.
In Australia, Jarmila Groth won the Hobart International in front of her home fans, a 6-4, 6-3 victory over American Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
The sixth-seeded Groth had seven double-faults in the windy conditions but overcame her service problems with some big returns and clinched her second WTA title, adding to Guangzhou last year.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
