Youzhny Fights Back to Move Past Hewitt and Into U.S. Open Quarters
September 3, 2013 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal
Lleyton Hewitt is out of the U.S. Open after suffering a tough five-set fourth-round loss to Russian 21st-seeded Mikhail Youzhny, 6-3, 3-6, 6-7(3-7), 6-4, 7-5 in a tension-filled, four-hour cliffhanger at Flushing Meadows, N.Y. on Tuesday. Hewitt certainly had his chances, as he squandered a two-sets-to-one advantage and 4-1 and 5-2 leads in the fourth and fifth sets. From 4-1 up in the fourth set, Hewitt lost five straight games to allow Youzhny back into the match and to force a fifth and deciding set.
Hewitt was unable to serve out the match at 5-3 in the fifth and then saw Youhzny come back strong. Youzhny finally closed out the match after three hours and 58 minutes. The fourth-round battle included a handful of 20- and 30-shot rallies, one of which broke a record for longest rally-ever at the U.S. Open.
Youzhny advances to the quarterfinals to play the winner of Tuesday evening’s match between the top-seeded Novak Djokovic and Marcel Granollers. Youzhny has met Djokovic eight times over the course of their careers, with Djokovic holding a 5-3 advantage over the Russian. In four career matches with Granollers, Youzhny has two victories as does Granollers.
