Help
1/17/11 5:46 AM | Kelli DeMario
Tournament seed David Nalbandian faces a tough first-round match, having drawn hometown veteran Lleyton Hewitt. The two are scheduled to battle for an Australian Open second-round berth on Tuesday.
(27) David Nalbandian vs. Lleyton Hewitt
World No. 21 David Nalbandian trails World No. 54 Lleyton Hewitt 2-3 in the head-to-head series. The players last met at the 2009 Medibank Open, where the Argentine came away with a quarterfinal victory in straight sets.
Nalbandian is 4-1 for the year, following his finals loss to David Ferrer in Auckland. The 29-year-old, who reached the 2006 semifinal, will be making his 9th Melbourne showing.
Hewitt looks to record his first victory of the 2011 season. The 29-year-old Australian is set to contest his 15th Australian Open. He earned his best result in 2005, when he finished runner-up to Marat Safin.
Prediction: Nalbandian in four sets.
(7) David Ferrer vs. Jarkko Nieminen
Seventh seed David Ferrer looks for his fifth consecutive victory of the season after winning the title in Auckland. The 28-year-old Spaniard made the Australian Open quarterfinal in 2008, before losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
World No. 40 Jarkko Nieminen is 1-2 for the season. Tuesday marks the 10th Australian Open for the 29-year-old veteran, who advanced to the quarterfinal in 2008 (lost to Nadal.).
Prediction: Ferrer in three sets.
(15) Marin Cilic vs. (Q) Donald Young
World No. 15 Marin Cilic will attempt to rebound after a first-round loss to Kei Nishikori in Chennai. The 22-year-old has been unable to win two consecutive matches since Washington DC. Cilic recorded his best Grand Slam result at the 2010 Australian Open, where he booked a spot in the semifinal (lost to Murray).
World No. 129 Donald Young is set to compete in his third Australian Open, following a successful run through the qualifying rounds. The 21-year-old American looks for his first main-draw victory since the 2010 Australian Open.
Prediction: Cilic in three sets.
Find the latest tennis odds at Unibet.com
Tell a friend »
nalbandian's just fizzing out after that incredible second set.
mriiidula , 1/18/11 12:40 PM
What an abysmal tiebreak by Hewitt! Quite a rollercoaster, this one...
ford68 , 1/18/11 1:37 PM
5th set! this is one hell of a match..
mriiidula , 1/18/11 1:52 PM
Just about 4 hours of tennis now.
smr , 1/18/11 2:13 PM
what a match! I knew this was going to be a cracker...these two really put on a good show.
cherylmurray , 1/18/11 2:42 PM
what a match, finally nalby pulls it off in just under 5 hours. and i just saw the stats, they both won the exact same number of points. hewitt must be bitterly disappointed..
mriiidula , 1/18/11 3:13 PM
The loss must surely be heartbreaking for Hewit!!! C'est lavie!!!!
Monalysa , 1/18/11 3:14 PM
What a match!!!
LONG LIVE THE KING DAVID!
Emiliano55 , 1/18/11 4:07 PM
EPIC
RickyDimon , 1/18/11 5:23 PM
Just read the match report and it sounds incredible. Former top players need to be included differently in the draw somehow. Poor Leyley!
stu , 1/18/11 7:54 PM
Can't agree with you there, stu. These early-round marquee matches are such a draw card! Not that they always deliver, though - just look at Lleyton's fellow ex- world #1 Dinara Safina on the receiving end of a double bagel from Kim Clijsters today. Gotta hurt - until she realises that her pay cheque equals the feisty Australian's. [She should maybe send a tithe to Billie-Jean...] Mind you, so does Rafa's opponent's - but at least he has a medical excuse!
gorafago , 1/18/11 8:55 PM
Safina was just back from a serious back injury, so don't expect her to do well. I'm sure without the back problem, she'll be a lot more competitive, definitely won't be getting the 6-0, 6-0 scorelines in the earlier rounds of the draw. Her problem only comes when she reached the slam finals.
luckystar , 1/19/11 3:15 AM
I woke up in time to see the latter part of the fifth set of this match. The way Hewitt broke back to make it 5-5, made me think he just might do it. Then he had two match points but couldn't get it done. I heard about all the break opportunities that he was not able to capitalize on and that really can come back to haunt you in a close, tough match like this one.
I feel for Hewitt, because he tried to give it everything he had, but Nalby seemed to play really well in the critical moments. Either way it was a great match from two former top players.
Nativenewyorker , 1/19/11 4:18 AM
I liked the match, because both players played in the manly way (= no ballet).
Augustina08 , 1/19/11 8:29 AM
I hated the match, because both players did not play in a manly way (= no brains).
nirv02 , 1/19/11 9:45 AM
Scan QR code to access Unibet mobile.
Bet on Sports wherever you are and whenever you like, with Unibet's quick and simple mobile client you can place bets, check results and see live odds.
For more info about QR codes & scanners click here.
Contact us
/ About us
/ Cookies
/ Recommended links
/ Advertise
/ Sitemap
Tennistalk v1.5.0
Disclaimer © 2001-2012, Moneytainment Media Ltd - All rights reserved
what a match this is! in the first set it was all hewitt, and in the second nalbandian was just ridiculous
mriiidula , 1/18/11 11:47 AM