Hewitt, Gonzalez, Molik Win Titles; Agassi Looking Good for Aussie Open; Open Day One Schedule

Posted on January 16, 2005

Hewitt Wins Fourth Sydney Title

Top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt became the only player to win the ATP stop in Sydney four times in the Open Era (since 1968) with a 7-5, 6-0 win Saturday over tour rookie Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic.

"I love playing here in Sydney and it gets better and better every year," Hewitt said. "I've only played four tournaments in this arena and I've been fortunate to win all four, so it's a hell of a place to play tennis."

Minar, who exhibits a monstrous forehand, entered Sydney this week with only one career win at the ATP level, and spent the majority of 2004 pining away on the challenger circuit.

"Lleyton, good luck in Melbourne and playing against Roger (Federer)," the soft-spoken Minar said in broken English. "For me, it's been a big success and I hope I will play here again next year."
ADHERE
Hewitt also won Sydney in 2000-01 and 2004, 20 straight matches at the event. The former No. 1 enters the Australian Open with a 7-1 record after losing last week in the quarterfinals at Adelaide to Taylor Dent.

Australian Todd Woodbridge won his fifth Sydney doubles title Saturday, teaming with Mahesh Bhupathi to defeat French pair Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra 6-3, 6-3.

"We've played a couple times before just as a one-off and filling in a week on the tour while we had no where to go, and we played so-so," Woodbridge said of his former teamings with Bhupathi. "But we really sort of focused on a few areas of our game where we can work and link together better. You know, on paper, we should be a good team, and I think we've quickly proved that we'll be a good team this year."

The title was a record 83rd for Woodbridge.

Gonzo Start For Gonzalez with ATP Auckland Title

Baseline power player Fernando Gonzalez of Chile began his year in high style Saturday with the hardcourt title at the ATP stop in Auckland.

The No. 5 seed, who is as well known for his forehand winners as his forehands hitting the backstop, fired on all cylinders all week, in the final overwhelming unseeded Belgian Olivier "The Roach" Rochus 6-4, 6-2.

"Some weeks I play good and some not. This was my week," said Gonzo, who will crack the Top 20 with the win. "I think I played almost perfect. I felt really good on the court today and I took every opportunity he gave me."

Rochus put in a stellar baseline display of his own during the week, culminating earlier with an upset of the top-seeded Guillermo Coria.

"I tried my best but I think today he was just too good," The Roach said. "He was just too strong and he was serving too good. Every shot was perfect."

It was the fifth career title for Gonzalez, with the Chilean earlier in the week announcing his intentions of qualifying for the year-end Masters Cup, which features the Top 8 players on the ATP Rankings.

In the doubles final the Swiss/German pair of Yves Allegro and Michael Kohlmann beat Simon Aspelin and Todd Perry 6-4, 7-6(4) for their first title as a team.

Molik Wins All-Aussie Final at WTA Sydney

It wasn't her best, but her "B" game was good enough for Alicia Molik to win the WTA stop in Sydney, defeating wildcard Sam Stosur 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-5 in the first all-Australian final in 13 years.

"That was the toughest match I've played against anyone in the past 12 to 24 months," Molik said. "I didn't play my best today and I probably made it a bit difficult for myself but I was able to step it up a gear when I had to...My belief in myself is getting me through, I expected to win the title when I came here and I did."

Both Molik and Stosur played with strained ab muscles during the week, and combined with the three-set Sydney final are both looking shaky for an extended Australian Open run.

"As the match went on, it got worse and I can't serve 100 percent," said Stosur, who fought back tears while receiving treatment from the trainer in the second set, and was up a break in the second and final set.

Molik's hot streak includes wins in 28 of her last 32 matches, and the title comes on the tail of three trophy-raising efforts in 2004.

"If I stay fit, I'd be looking at a fourth round at the Australian Open because I haven't got that far in a grand slam tournament before," Molik said.

In the doubles final the Aussie pair of Bryanne Stewart/Stosur received a walkover win against (3) Elena Dementieva/Ai Sugiyama, with Dementieva suffering from heat illness.

First Career Title for Ivanovic at WTA Canberra

Serb teen Ana Ivanovic rolled over Hungarian lucky loser Melinda "The Fifth Element" Czink 7-5, 6-1 Saturday in the final at the WTA stop in Canberra, Australia.

A sloppy first set featured seven breaks of serve as nerves were on display, but in the second set Ivanovic punched the time clock, showing an aggressive workman-like baseline game as Czink withered.

"I was really nervous in the beginning," the 17-year-old Ivanovic said. "I somehow pulled through the first set and in the second set...I didn't do too much wrong."

Czink lost in the qualifying tournament to Ivanovic the weekend prior to the tournament, but gained the main draw as a lucky loser before making her improbable run to the final.

In the doubles final the Italian/Slovak combo of (3) Tatiana Garbin/Tina Krizan defeated Czechs (4) Gabriela Navratilova/Micheala Pastikova 7-5, 1-6, 6-4.

Australian Open Day One Schedule

Monday, Jan. 17, 2005:

Men: (1) Federer vs. Santoro, (8) Agassi vs. (Q) Kindlmann, (4) Safin vs. (Q) Djokovic, (13) Robredo vs. Draper, (5) Moya vs. (Q) Garcia-Lopez, (30) T.Johansson vs. (WC) Luczak, (11) J.Johansson vs. Schalken, (16) Haas vs. Malisse, (10) Gaudio vs. Gimelstob, (WC) Reid vs. Beck, (27) Srichaphan vs. Starace, (21) Kiefer vs. O.Rochus, (Q) Luzzi vs. (Q) Baghdatis, Sargsian vs. Sanchez, Lu vs. Wessels, Kim vs. H.-T. Lee, (Q) Zib vs (WC) Wang, Fish vs. Monaco, Costa vs. (Q) Phau, (24) Lopez vs. (WC) Baccanello, (Q) Tipserevic vs. (Q) Bracciali, Gambill vs. (Q) Suzuki, Nieminen vs. Sanguinetti, Calleri vs. Mirnyi, Schuettler vs. (Q) Patience, Karlovic vs. Ulihrach, (20) Hrbaty vs. Soderling, (29) Dent vs. (Q) Serra, (28) Ancic vs. Hernandez, Enqvist vs. Tabara, (22) Ljubicic vs. Horna, and Ginepri vs. (WC) Monfils.

Women: (7) Serena vs. Pin, (2) Mauresmo vs. Stosur, (5) Kuznetsova vs. Kirkland, (4) Sharapova vs. Karatantcheva, (24) Pierce vs. Cohen-Aloro, (17) Zuluaga vs. Sfar, (9) Zvonareva vs. Liu, (16) Sugiyama vs. Sucha, Llagostera Vives vs. Ferguson, Randriantefy vs. Ondraskova, Gubacsi vs. Lee-Waters, Mirza vs. Watson, Zheng vs. Safina, (28) Asagoe vs. Barna, Diaz-Oliva vs. Obata, Li vs. Granville, Craybas vs. Douchevina, Baltacha vs. Srebotnik, (32) Benesova vs. Ivanovic, Kirilenko vs. Kapros, Ruano Pascual vs. Jidkova, Domachowska vs. Li, (22) Maleeva vs. Serna, Brandi vs. (29) Dulko, Kurhajcova vs. Linetskaya, Schaul vs. Bartoli, (15) Farina Elia vs. Schruff, Razzano vs. (11) Petrova, Mandula vs. (30) Pennetta, Irvin vs. (21) Frazier, Groenefeld vs. Beltrame, and Chladkova vs. Talaja.

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Maria Sharapova has been hitting the gym hard in the off-season, adding a bit (little bit) more bulk to her pipe-cleaner frame and some noticeable muscle to her shot...Amelie Mauresmo entering the Australian Open: "My objective is to keep progressing as in 2004," Mauresmo told L'Equipe. "I had never felt such emotions and pleasure at playing. I want this to continue at the Australian Open as well as throughout the whole year...When I start any tournament I never impose myself to win. I just tell myself to do my best and see where it takes me. I want to give my maximum which I have not managed to give yet in a Grand Slam tournament...It's the first time I have not played before a Grand Slam. But I have not found an ideal preparation either so by changing my way of doing things I am not taking that many risks. Whether it will work or not I don't know, we will see even if the only drawback is that I lack preparation. It is often said that after a break you need up to three matches to regain your pace and concentration which only comes with competition. But I will gain that back in the first rounds and I will then make the most of my preparation. My physical and technical preparation has been done properly so I am sure things will go fine."...Andy Roddick said his Davis Cup spanking at the hands of the Spaniards has not had a negative effect on his 2005 outlook: "I am not one to go sit at home, sit in bed and feel sorry for myself because I have no reason to feel sorry for myself. If anything, I think I might have used it a little bit. I really put it to work. It's still going to hurt but, if anything, it makes you hungrier. I spent more time on court this off-season than I have before so I'm excited. I am really, really excited about the upcoming year."...According to the Times Online, John McEnroe likely priced himself out of his on-court interview and commentating role for Channel 7 in Australia, and was replaced this year by Jim Courier...Former Brit player Barry Cowan talking to the BBC on Tim Henman quitting Great Britain's Davis Cup squad: "You only had to look at his body language in his last Davis Cup match against Austria. I felt then that it looked ominous that he might retire. He had to think realistically can we win the Davis Cup? I don't think we can. But can he win a Grand Slam? Of course. And, for the sake of prolonging his career, it's the right move."...Roger Federer beat Andy Roddick 6-4, 7-5 in the final of the Kooyong exhibition Saturday, improving his chances, if that's possible, for a second consecutive Australian Open title. "I feel much, much better coming into this Australian Open than last year," Federer said. "It's different to last year because I got here with no coach and people were wondering how that would be. I put a lot more pressure on myself." Roddick suffered an ankle injury at one point during the match, but says he will be fine going into his first round match at the Australian Open. "I am not too worried, it's not serious," Roddick said. "I just jammed it a little bit and could feel it but I think it was actually good to carry on. I am not going to request (a late start in Melbourne) but I wouldn't be opposed to it." Tim Henman defeated Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-7, 7-5 in the playoff for third and fourth place, with Agassi testing the hip injury that forced him to withdraw from an earlier match in Kooyong.