2005 Australian Open - Day #10
By Eleanor Preston  |  January 26, 2005

It was the match that had everything - drama, heat, suspect line calls and, above all, two competitors giving it their all in front of a partisan crowd.

The match in question might easily be the five-hour epic between Lleyton Hewitt and David Nalbandian but the Rod Laver Arena’s Australia Day crowd was treated to two extraordinary contests, and only one of them involved Hewitt, tennis’ equivalent of the energizer bunny.

Hewitt is carrying a hip injury yet somehow came through his tenth set in three days by outlasting David Nalbandian in even more dramatic fashion than he squeaked past Rafael Nadal in the previous round.

Hewitt beat the Argentine 6-3, 6- 2, 1-6, 3-6, 10-8 ensuring that the top four men in the world rankings – Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Hewitt and Marat Safin – will contest for the 2005 Australian Open title.

“A year ago on this day I lost in the round of 16. Thank goodness I came away with a win tonight,” said Hewitt. “I just kept hanging in there. It was always tough serving second in the fifth set and I just had to tell myself to give it everything I’d got and in the end it paid off once again.”

Ahead of his last four clash with Roddick, Hewitt laughed his way out of a tricky question about just how tired and sore he was feeling. “I feel great. I might go for 10K run tomorrow,” he said, tongue in cheek.

Hewitt’s typically guts-and-glory effort was a massive contrast to Roddick’s cakewalk through to the men’s semi-finals against a crocked Nikolay Davydenko. The portents were good when Roddick was seen yawning as he waited to go on court, clearly not overwhelmed by the sense of occasion. The signs got even worse when Davydenko needed treatment for breathing problems and eventually, at two sets and 4-1 down in the third, he threw in the towel.

Roddick has had the kind of draw other players dream about, having played Phillip Kohlschreiber and then Davydenko to get to the semis, but it might not serve him well in his next match, for that will be a huge jump in class for the American.

Roddick, naturally, saw it the other way. “I haven’t been quite as dramatic as I normally am, I guess,” said Roddick.
”It's been pretty smooth sailing so far. Yeah, I mean, as much so as I've ever had being in this position in a Grand Slam. You know, you're absolutely right about that. But at the same time, you know, that could end up being a good thing. I don't have many miles on me so far this tournament.”

Before Hewitt came an extraordinarily dramatic three set tussle between Lindsay Davenport and Alicia Molik, in which Molik threw everything she had and quite a lot more she didn’t realise she had to throw at the American and found out just why Davenport is World No.1.

The Californian fought in her own quiet way through the searing heat on court and everything her doughty and talented opponent had to offer. She put up with Molik’s refusal to go away, sighed when match-points came and went and looked up to the heavens in irritation when Molik broke her serve and she did it all with her peculiar brand of weary efficiency and an expression that made it clear she had every intention of being a party pooper by beating Molik.

Molik will be inside the top ten after her efforts in making the quarter-finals in Melbourne and she will certainly be an asset to the upper echelons of her sport. Her attacking verve and sporting, girl-next-door attitude is going to endear her to crowds thousands of miles away from her home and she could and should have a big year.

“She’s a great player. You want to have weapons this day and age in women's tennis. Alicia certainly possesses them with her serve and forehand,” said Davenport. “I think it's a great thing when someone's getting better, can only look forward.”

If Molik can expect a fruitful season, Davenport’s year could be huge. She is top of the rankings and probably the narrow favorite to win the Australian Open (with due respect to Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova) and all this from a woman who isn’t even supposed to be here. She had planned to be at home preparing to have a family with her husband Jon, instead of running herself into a lather on a tennis court in Australia, but Davenport clearly isn’t ready to let go just yet.

She is clearly as fit - if not fitter – than she has ever been and proved it by laughing off suggestions that she might be inclined to let her partner Carina Morariu down by pulling out of the doubles.

“No way. We're going to win. It's my partner's birthday. We're in the semis. And I feel fine. I mean, I have no physical problems right now. You know, it's tough to come back again tomorrow, but hopefully we're going to go out there and, you know, have a great chance to make the finals.”

It seems Hewitt doesn’t have the monopoly on die hard spirit..

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