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2/19/09 4:59 AM | Ricky Dimon
Lleyton Hewitt upsets James Blake in the first round of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships on Wednesday night. Next up for Hewitt is fellow Aussie Chris Guccione.
Lleyton Hewitt improved his head-to-head record against James Blake to a dominant 8-1 on Wednesday night with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 upset in the Memphis first round. Hewitt needed two hours and six minutes to set up an all-Australian second-round showdown with big-serving Chris Guccione.
In a match that featured plenty of twists and turns, the first one came from the stands. A medical issue involving a fan halted play for about 30 minutes with Blake serving at 2-2, deuce. Undeterred by the delay, Blake came right out and blasted two aces to hold serve before breaking Hewitt with ease at 3-2. The third-seeded American proceeded to close out the set 6-3. Five aces and four of four break points saved helped Blake's efforts in the initial set.
Hewitt's opening service game of set two proved to be the ultimate momentum changer. The oft-injured Aussie survived a long game and several break points to hold for 1-0. Having missed a chance to take a commanding lead in the match, Blake fizzled after that. He played a dreadful service game at 0-1 and Hewitt sprinted to a 6-1 victory to force a decisive third. Hewitt, who is outside the Top 100 due almost exclusively to physical problems, saved four break points and converted each of his two chances.
Blake woke up front his mental lapse in the second and stayed competitive throughout the final frame of play. Although Hewitt broke serve midway through the final set, Blake--somewhat surprisingly--showed some belief. He made Hewitt struggle through a 3-4 service games but he missed a chance at a break, then he went down 15-40, double match point, while serving at 3-5. Blake saved both of those match points, but Hewitt seized another chance and thought he had the match won when Blake sent a backhand apparently past the baseline. No out call was made, however, and Hewitt's protest to the chair umpire obviously fell on deaf ears.
Blake finally held serve, forcing his opponent to close out the match on his own serve. Hewitt ran into some difficulty in bouncing back from the questionable call, but he remained strong despite facing four break points. At long last, Hewitt finished off the upset with his seventh ace of the night.
Hewitt and Guccione, also occasional doubles partners, will be squaring off for the second time on Thursday. Guccione won their only previous meeting in Sydney last year. Hewitt will want to raise his service percentage (44 percent first serves against Blake), especially since the 6'7'' Guccione is so tough to break. Blake, meanwhile, converted just one of 11 break-point chances.
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