Hewitt avoids early exit - round-up

Lleyton Hewitt blew a huge sigh of relief after avoiding a repeat of last year’s humiliating first round exit from Wimbledon with an emphatic victory against Jurgen Melzer.

The Australian romped to glory at the All England Club in 2002 but his title defence the following year misfired spectacularly as he fell victim to Croatian Ivo Karlovic in the opening round.

Hewitt bore the indignity of becoming the first defending Wimbledon champion to fall at the first hurdle and he admitted the painful memories of that result had crossed his mind before today’s match.

But there was little cause for concern as he swept aside the temperamental Melzer 6-2 6-4 6-2 to book his place in the second round at the All England Club.

“Last year’s loss entered my head a little bit as I went out there. But it’s important to be positive in those situations,” he said.

“I felt good on court and got out the blocks well. The second set was a little bit tougher, even though I had the better of him for most of the match. I had a lot of opportunities to break.”

Hewitt looked comfortable throughout and the likelihood of another shock defeat evaporated swiftly as the 23-year-old dismantled his opponent with ease.

It was a frustrating afternoon for Melzer who found himself heavily outgunned and the Austrian failed to contain his anger, treating spectators to a tantrum-filled display.

A string of missed drop shots and wayward forehands prompted Melzer to vent his wrath at the umpire and linespeople, while even the ball boys and girls came in for similar treatment – behaviour which disappointed Hewitt.

“He showed a bit of emotion out there. If you get some dodgy bounces you’ve got to be able to deal with it. He was frustrated because he got a couple of bad calls,” he said.