LLEYTON HEWITT’S U.S. OPEN TENNIS CAREER ENDS WITH NIGHT 5 SET THRILLER AGAINST BERNIE TOMIC BY RICKY DIMON

Written by: Staff on 3rd September 2015

LLEYTON HEWITT'S U.S. OPEN TENNIS CAREER ENDS WITH NIGHT 5 SET THRILLER AGAINST BERNIE TOMIC BY RICKY DIMON |

Lleyton Hewitt has played his last match at the U.S. Open–but not before giving the fans one last memory with a performance that did well to encapsulate his illustrious career.

The 2001 champion fought back from a massive deficit to treat the night-session crowd inside the Grandstand to an all-Australian thriller against Bernard Tomic. Improbably, Hewitt even came within inches of the finish line–twice holding a match point late in the fifth set.

In the end, though, it was Tomic who battled to a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5 victory after three hours and 27 minutes.

“It was a great atmosphere out there on that court,” Hewitt said. “The crowd was really involved.”

That was not the case, however, in the beginning. And when Hewitt trailed by two sets to love and by 2-0 in the third, it looked like drama would never materialize. In typical Hewitt fashion, however, the 34-year mounted a charge. He broke at 1-2 and again at 4-3 before closing out the set with an ace at 5-3, 40-0.

The two-time major winner also recovered from a 5-3 deficit in the fourth, breaking in the ninth game and delivering a clutch hold in the 10th game. A distraught Tomic donated serve easily at 5-5 before Hewitt sent the crowd into a frenzy–and the match into a decisive fifth set–with a routine hold at 6-5.

This time it was Hewitt’s turn to near the finish line. Tomic faced two match points serving at 3-5, 15-40. The 22-year-old saved the first with a backhand winner and survived the second after a long point that culminated with Tomic forcing his countryman into a lunging backhand that hit the top of the net. Playing with newfound aggression as his legs started to fail him, Tomic held then broke in the 10th game to stay alive.

“After he had the match on his racket, I played the right tennis at this moment,” Tomic reflected. “Two match points I was down. I went for it. I think now my approach when I’m losing is just go for it. You have to go for it.”

With momentum finally back on his side, the No. 24 seed could do no wrong the rest of the way. He scraped through a tough game at 5-5 before surging to a 15-40 lead on Hewitt’s serve. Hewitt saved one match point with a forehand winner, but a barrage of Tomic forehands at 30-40–including a clincher well out of Hewitt’s reach–ended it.

“Just great atmosphere like tonight,” Hewitt said when asked about what he will most when it comes to the U.S. Open. “Especially the night matches are really special at the Open here. I’ve been fortunate to play in so many long four and five-set matches out there on all three of the major courts.”

For Tomic, this was just his second career five-setter in Flushing Meadows. And this one, of course, cannot be compared to a 2013 first-rounder against Albert Ramos-Vinolas. This one came in a perfect setting to do battle with a legendary opponent.

“I was happy to win, [but it was unfortunate] for him,” Tomic commented. “You know, he’s a legend; not just to me–to everyone in the world. I’ll always look up to him. I learned a lot from him.

“I’m happy we had a match like this today. It was an amazing match, for sure.”