Lleyton Hewitt’s not ready to go out just yet. The retiring Aussie great extended his career for one more match after beating fellow Australian James Duckworth in the opening round of the 2016 Australian Open. However, does the former World No. 1 have enough left in the tank to topple highly-favored No. 8 seed David Ferrer?
Get a full breakdown of this second-round men’s draw matchup. Meanwhile, check out the top men’s matches with our previews of Djokovic vs. Halys and Wawrinka vs. Stepanek.
World No. 8 David Ferrer did was expected of him and basically dominated his first-round matchup against German Peter Gojowczyk. The Spaniard spent just 90 minutes on court in order to record a straight-sets win, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
[sc:AUS15-250 ]Ferrer’s service game was superb. He fired in seven aces, put 65 percent of his first serves in play, and won 82 percent of those first serves. His patented return game was also on point, as he won 44 percent of receiving points and broke his opponent’s serve five times in eight attempts.
After an incredible 2015 which saw him finish 22-6 on hard court, Ferrer has fallen down to earth with two losses in his first five hard court matches this season. That includes a shock first-round exit to World No. 76 Illya Marchenko in Doha.
But he looked back to his best against Gojowczyk, and will have another favorable matchup against World No. 308 Lleyton Hewitt. Ferrer holds a 2-1 edge over Hewitt in their three career meetings, and won their lone meeting on hard court during the 2012 US Open.
Lleyton Hewitt didn’t look like a player that’s one loss away from retirement as he outlasted compatriot James Duckworth, 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-4 in just under 2.5 hours.
Hewitt’s service game was rock solid against Duckworth. He fired home 10 aces, and won 76 percent of his first serve points. More importantly, he didn’t beat himself. He committed just 23 unforced errors compared to 42 by Duckworth.
The second round has been right around the time Hewitt has made his exit in Melbourne. He hasn’t gone further than the Round of 64 in five of the last six years.
His prospects of getting past Ferrer and making one last Cinderella run aren’t too good, either, as evidenced by his +550 odds to win the match. The support and encouragement from his hometown crowd will help him a bit, but they can help only so much. Despite his best efforts, this could very well be the end for Hewitt’s career.
Writer’s Prediction
Ferrer (-900) sends Hewitt into retirement with a straight-sets win.
