The twice Grand Slam champion Hewitt broke Davydenko once in the first set and then sealed the match 7-3 in the second set tiebreak to continue his solid form ahead of next week''s Australian Open.
Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt defeated Russia's Nikolay Davydenko 6-3 7-6 at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne on Friday to set up a final showdown with 12th-ranked Frenchman Gael Monfils for the invitational title.
The twice Grand Slam champion Hewitt broke Davydenko once in the first set and then sealed the match 7-3 in the second set tiebreak to continue his solid form ahead of next week''s Australian Open.
Despite his world ranking slipping to 54th amid a raft of injuries last season, 29-year-old Hewitt remains his country's best hope of winning a men's Grand Slam but he faces a tough opening round against 27th-ranked David Nalbandian of Argentina, whom he beat for the Wimbledon title in 2002.
"At Wimbledon I handled the pressure and expectation extremely well that day and played a near flawless match," Hewitt said at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club.
"But a lot's happened since then and I've still got to go out there and play my game...It should be a good match."
Hewitt holds a 3-2 record over 29-year-old Nalbandian, but the Argentine has won their past two. Nalbandian has also been in good form and will contest the final of the Auckland Open with top seed David Ferrer after knocking out Spaniard Nicolas Almagro.
Gael Monfils later defeated 11th-ranked Jurgen Melzer 2-6 6-2 7-6 in a hard-fought semi-final.
The Austrian had earlier defeated Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 8-6 in a pro-set hastily arranged after rain completely washed out the second day of the four-day tournament on Thursday.
The eight-man invitational event wraps up with the final on Saturday.
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