Noticia nº24.790

/noticias.info/ It was their first professional meeting, but Lleyton Hewitt and Joachim Johansson were hardly strangers. The two men have spent countless hours chatting at backyard barbecues and various family functions. The pair has become well acquainted through Johansson's girlfriend Jaslyn, Hewitt's younger sister.

A pumped Hewitt played with purpose and poise, facing only one break point in his 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 semifinal victory. Hewitt stifled the 2004 US Open ace leader Johansson by winning 82 percent of his first-service deliveries. When he wasn't returning Johansson's rocketing serves, Hewitt was covering the court like a gazelle and mixed up his ground game with a variety of depth, pace and spin.

"He got the ball back low, which made it difficult for me to hit winners," Johansson said.

The familiar foes stayed on serve until the 10th game of the first set. Hewitt converted his second set point when Johansson, acutely aware of fourth seed's laser-like speed, went for too much on a routine overhead and badly miss the smash wide.

In only his second US Open appearance, Johansson was the first Swede to reach a US Open semifinal since Jonas Bjorkman in 1997.

Hewitt, who's captured the last two events he's played coming into the Open, is riding the crest of a 16-match win streak. The US Open Series inaugural champion, he was also the only man in the semifinals not to have lost at set in the tournament.

The second set followed a pattern similar to the first, with Hewitt again capturing the lone break of serve late in the set. Johansson, feeling the pressure to hit a winner, sprayed a forehand wide, prompting an elated Hewitt to dip one knee and pull a reverse first pump, a move that resembled a man trying to start his lawn mower on a summer day.

Johansson, who had 30 aces in his stunning quarterfinal upset of defending champion Andy Roddick, was stymied by Hewitt's ability to get a stick on numerous 130-mph first-serve offerings. Hewitt held Johansson to 17 aces on the match.

In the third set, Hewitt continued to overwhelm his 22-year-old adversary with his steady return of serve and comprehensive court coverage, breaking Johansson at love in the eighth game. The Australian followed with a love hold, sealing the victory on his first match point as Johansson committed the last of his 37 unforced errors when a forehand floated long.

When the topic of Jaslyn Hewitt's loyalty came into questions both men were aware of the difficulty facing a woman torn between two men

"She can pick her boyfriend and she can't pick her brother, so I hope she will be supporting me," Johansson said before the match with a grin.

"It's definitely a bit awkward," Hewitt said. "My parents and Jaslyn were in his box the whole two weeks."

On Sunday, Hewitt will attempt to become the only man in the Open Era history to claim the US Open title without the lost of a set. He won his first major here in 2001.


Arthur Ashe - Men's Singles - Semifinals Match Statistics
Lleyton Hewitt AUS (4) 0 6 7 6

Joachim Johansson SWE (28) 0 4 5 3


11/09/2004