Hewitt battles to five-set win
The French Open has always eluded former world number one Hewitt
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Thursday, 31, May 2007 05:31
Number 14 seed Lleyton Hewitt recovered from two sets down to beat Argentina's Gaston Gaudio and reach the third round of the French Open at Roland Garros.
Gaudio, who won the 2004 championships in Paris after an epic final against Argentinean compatriot Guillermo Coria, won the first set 6-4 and looked on course to knock out his Australian opponent when he went on to win 6-3 in the second set.
However the misfiring Hewitt eventually found his range and mounted an impressive comeback.
He took the third set 6-2 and the fourth set 6-4 before he took the initiative in a tense decider and maintained his march with two breaks of serve to secure a 6-2 victory in the final set.
Hewitt plays 20th seed Jarkko Nieminen in the third round after the Finn produced an impressive display to beat Frenchman Mathieu Montcourt in straight sets 6-1 6-1 6-4.
They are both joined by reigning champion Rafael Nadal, who continued his sublime claycourt form with a 6-2 6-1 6-4 victory over Italy's Flavio Cipolla in round two.
Nadal will play the winner of the second-round match between Albert Montanes of Spain and Tim Henman's conqueror Ernests Gulbis of Latvia.