Hewitt staged a dramatic French Open fightback on Thursday to edge closer to a Roland Garros showdown against defending champion Rafael Nadal.
PARIS: Never-say-die Lleyton Hewitt staged a dramatic French Open fightback on Thursday to edge closer to a Roland Garros showdown against defending champion Rafael Nadal.
As Hewitt was pulling off his fourth career comeback from two sets down to defeat 2004 champion Gaston Gaudio in a marathon second round clash, it was business as usual for women's second seed Maria Sharapova.
The Russian, looking to win a first French Open where she has never got beyond the quarter-finals, brushed aside American veteran Jill Craybas 6-2, 6-1.
Sharapova was joined in the third round by Serbian seventh seed Ana Ivanovic who defeated India's Sania Mirza 6-1, 6-4.
But the day's drama was on Court Philippe Chatrier where 4th seed Hewitt clinched a 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 victory to set up a third round clash against Finland's Jrkko Nieminen.
Victory there would likely give him a last 16 date with Nadal against whom he lost at the same stage in 2006.
The Australian has looked destined to suffer his worst performance in Paris since making a first round exit on his debut in 1999 when he was second best in the opening two sets.
Hewitt levelled the contest at two sets each as Gaudio's game fell to pieces and took the tie after 3hrs 28min on court when the Argentinian, who has already hinted at retirement, hit a lazy, tired forehand long.
Hewitt had to come back from to sets down to beat Michel Russell in the first round of this year's Australian Open.
His first such dramatic recovery came against Guillermo Canas in the fourth round here in 2001, and the second was in 203 when he beat Roger Federer in a Davis Cup semi-final.
Nadal will play his second round match later on Thursday against Italy's Flavio Cipolla.
Serbian sixth seed Novak Djokovic, tipped as an outsider or the title, needed four sets to get past French world number 306 Laurent Recouderc.
Former Australian Open runner-up Marcos Baghdatis, the 16th seeded Cypriot, also made the third round with a straight sets triumph over Denmark's Kristian Pless.
Reigning Australian Open women's champion, and the 2002 champion here, Serena Williams was facing Venezuela's Milagros Sequerain her second round tie later on Thursday.
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