Homepage / Sports

Hewitt, Gasquet Among First-Round Winners In Sydney

POSTED: 10:35 am EST January 13, 2009

(Sports Network) - Lleyton Hewitt of Australia and France's Richard Gasquet were among Tuesday's first-round winners at the Medibank International.

The former world No. 1 Hewitt is a four-time winner of this Australian Open tuneup and playing this week as a wild-card entry. He rallied for a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Frenchman Julien Benneteau, while Gasquet notched a 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 triumph over defending Sydney champion Dmitry Tursunov of Russia.

Gasquet's win earned him a second-round matchup with fellow Frenchman Gilles Simon, this week's No. 2 seed. Hewitt, who last won this title in 2005, will next face Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic, who upended eighth-seeded American Mardy Fish with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 decision at Sydney International Tennis Centre.

Fish wasn't the only seeded player knocked out on Day 2, as another Aussie wild card, Chris Guccione, dumped sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic. Guccione, a finalist at this event last year, earned a 6-3, 6-4 triumph to set-up a second-round match with Finland's Jarkko Nieminen.

Two other Frenchmen, Paul-Henri Mathieu and qualifier Jeremy Chardy, also advanced. Mathieu captured a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 win over Italy's Andreas Seppi and next has the task of taking on top-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia. Chardy was ahead 6-4, 3-0 when Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic retired because of an illness. Stepanek was fresh off his title in Brisbane.

The 2009 Sydney titlist will take home $78,500.

Sponsored Links

Sports Sunday Question

Has the Subway Series (Yankees vs. Mets) lost its luster? E-Mail Us!

Your Name:
Your Hometown:
Your Email Address:
Your answer to Sports Sunday's Question of the Week:

 

Links We Like

Sponsored Content
Learn to train and eat the right way and you can lose that unwanted weight and keep it off! More

Is your bathroom in serious need of an update? We’ve got the tips and tricks to help you turn it into a major selling point in your home. More

So you want a cool job huh? Find out what you could be making to do something you love. More

The signs of Cancer can sometimes be very subtle. Here's a guide to help you recognize them early. More

Consumer Info


Sponsored Content Provided by ARA


Hartford Magazine
Meriden Record-Journal
AllGreen.com