NEW YORK — It has been 11 years since Lleyton Hewitt last won a Grand Slam event, at Wimbledon, and 12 since his first, and only, title at the US Open in 2001.
His matchup with No. 6 seed Juan Martin Del Potro on Friday night at the U.S. Open was intriguing from the start.
Both were former US Open champions, Hewitt having won back in 2001 when he beat Pete Sampras in the final and Del Potro capturing the title in 2009.
In the end, it was the 32-year-old Hewitt turning back the clock when Del Potro double-faulted on match point in the fifth set to give Hewitt a 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1 victory that lasted 4 hours, 5 minutes and propelled him into the third round.
“It’s amazing,” Hewitt said in his on-court interview with fellow Australian Darren Cahill of ESPN.
“I was pumped up when I won my first-round match because I knew obviously playing Del Potro, a past champion and a great player as well, was an opportunity to play on Arthur Ashe,” Hewitt added while addressing a raucous night crowd at the Open. “I don’t know how many years I’ve got left and you keep getting asked the question.
“I was just hungry to get out here and play on this court again and try to put on a great show.”
One of the most dogged defenders in the history of tennis — John McEnroe put Hewitt in the top five along with Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Michael Chang and David Ferrer — Hewitt improved to 32-19 in five-set matches in Majors and 8-2 at the Open.
Del Potro won the championship here in 2009, beating Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer back-to-back en route to the title, inspiring questions about whether the Argentine with the huge serve and atomic flat forehand could eventually take over the No. 1 ranking.
Wrist surgery slowed his roll over the next few years, but he appeared to be all the way back when he pushed Novak Djokovic in an epic five-set Wimbledon semifinal that may have been the match of the tournament. Djokovic won the match before losing to Andy Murray in the final, but Del Potro served notice that he was back.
The big-hitting Argentine was considered part of a group of players below Nadal, Djokovic and Murray who had a chance to challenge for this year’s Open title, but he couldn’t over come Hewitt, his idol growing up.
Del Potro told the Spanish press he has been bothered by a left wrist injury, and he looked tentative and sluggish at times, especially in the first two sets.
“The wrist is not the way what I like, but what I say is not excuse,” Del Potro said. “Now I have a few days to rest, to fix my wrist again, then see in which tournament I will play next.
“But I think Lleyton found a way to beat me, and he’s a really good win.”
After winning his first Major at the Open in 2001, Hewitt reached the final again in 2004, losing to Federer in what would be the first of five straight championships for the Swiss.
On three other occasions, Hewitt lost in the semis to some of the game’s all-time greats, to Sampras (2000), to Andre Agassi (2002) and to Federer (2005).
He reached the quarterfinals in 2006, but since then has never advanced past the third round.
Hewitt was one of six former champs in the men’s draw, and probably the least likely to make a deep run because of his age, draw and diminished skillset.
He said he consulted more than half a dozen surgeons when he needed foot surgery a few years back and, “At least six of them told me to retire if you have it done.”
“A couple of years ago when I had a couple of foot surgeries I didn’t know if I was going to play tennis again so for me to be out here competing, it’s a hell of a lot of fun, I’ll tell you that,” Hewitt said. “I cherish every match out here, I tell you that, and this is why I still play to have moments like this. Sometimes playing the smaller tournaments it’s hard to get up for. There’s nothing hard to get up for out here, that’s for sure.”
Hewitt had a chance to serve for a two sets to love lead at 5-4 in the second but double-faulted on set point, and then seemed to lose his way early in third.
Yet using his all-court game, Hewitt fought back to dominate the fourth set tiebreak and then cruised in the fifth as Del Potro seemed to lose his energy.
“Yeah, it was obviously frustrating [losing the second set],” Hewitt said. “He would have known in the back of his mind, yeah, if he went down two sets to love against me it was going to be an awfully long way back against me and he was going to have to do it the hard way. I was frustrated not closing it out then.”
Hewitt’s win enabled Serena Williams to begin her match at 11:49 EST, as opposed to even later. Still, it was the fifth-latest start in US Open history.
“I don’t think I’ve ever played this late so it’s real nice and it’s a real good surprise,” Williams said after routing Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-3, 6-1, in a match that ended after 1 a.m.
In the fourth round on Sunday, Williams will meet fellow American Sloane Stephens, who beat Serena in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Stephens advanced earlier with a 6-3, 6-1 win over her friend and fellow American, Jamie Hampton.
“As I always say, I think it will be epic,” Stephens said of her matchup with Serena.
Earlier in the Turn Back the Clock Day, 35-year-old Tommy Haas of Germany advanced. Federer, 32, will play his third-round match Saturday night.
Now Hewitt, another member of the over-30 club, is into the third round, too.
“I’m taking it one match at a time,” Hewitt said. “Even when I was No. 1 in the world I was taking it one match at a time. I never was a player to look too far ahead, the way draws can pan out and stuff.”
Photo: New York Times
