Hewitt displays stamina of a marathon man

By PATRICK MILES

THERE is no stopping Lleyton Hewitt, the marathon runner on Rebound Ace. He finished off a doubles match yesterday afternoon and declared himself ready to take on Spain's Alex Corretja today in the second round of the singles. Hewitt had reason to feel tender – he and Sandon Stolle beat Patrick Galbraith and Brian MacPhie 7-6 6-4 on the same day his first-round singles match had concluded. It began in the Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday and ended at around 1.45am yesterday, and was a triumph of skill and stamina for the 18-year-old. American Paul Goldstein, who has a similar baseline game to Hewitt's, was a worthy opponent in a match that lasted three hours and 17 minutes before Hewitt served out for a 6-2 6-7 7-6 6-4 win.. "Last week, I didn't lose a set in Sydney and I think to get an actual tough match under my belt first round, I think it's nice," Hewitt said. "I was feeling fine out there on the court towards the end of the fourth set, and if it did go to five, I felt ready to do that, so I'm feeling pretty positive about my fitness at the moment as well." Hewitt, on an 11-match winning streak after winning titles in Adelaide and Sydney, expects another gruelling match against Corretja, who is more than just another Spanish baseliner. "I'm going to have my hands full with him," Hewitt said. "We had a tough match last week but I'm expecting a lot tougher here. We're going to be out there for a long time, I think, again, so I've got to be prepared to work hard." There can be no doubting the size of Hewitt's endeavour after his efforts against Goldstein. They both played aggressive and highly-motivated tennis, fighting for every point as well as forcing winners at the slightest opportunity. Hewitt will require these qualities and more against Corretja today. The Spaniard, multiple winner of fair-play awards around the world and consistently voted Mr Nice Guy on the ATP Tour, will attempt to reach the Open third round for only the second time in five visits. As a clay court merchant, Corretja was the French Open runner-up to compatriot Carlos Moya in 1998, but is also capable of running down the opposition on a hard court, as he showed in the 1996 United States Open by advancing to the quarter-finals. Hewitt had his measure in Sydney, however. Hewitt goes solo against Corretja in the third match on the centre court, following Younes El Aynaoui versus Tommy Haas and Serena Williams against Australia's Nicole Pratt.