Querrey

Seventh seed Sam Querrey notched his third championship of the year with a solid 7-6 (3), 7-5 win over friend and countryman Mardy Fish to claim the AEGON International at Eastbourne. With his wins at Belgrade and Memphis, Querrey is the first tour player to win on three different surfaces this season.

As his serve goes, so goes Querrey. The 6’6” 22-year old did not face a break point in the evenly played opening set. Fish also served forcefully, allowing just three break opportunities, which the 28-year old defended courageously. At 4-3 in the tiebreaker, Fish played two loose points to give Querrey three set points. The winner only needed one to capture the set.

In the second set, the players held serve until the ninth game when Fish converted a long baseline rally to finally gain the advantage. However, serving for the set, the underdog committed three unforced errors to allow Querrey to even the set. The champion followed with a hold, recording his 15th ace and then broke again to get his name on the coveted trophy that contains the names of 25 Wimbledon champions.

It was a painful loss for Fish, a resident of Tampa Florida. His record in tour finals is just 3-11 and 0-3 in grass court finals. Querrey became the eight American to win at the Queen’s Club. The all American final was the first since Todd Martin met Pete Sampras in 1994.

Hewitt Downs Federer

Two former world number ones met for the 25th time in the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany. A stunned crowd saw Australian Lleyton Hewitt end his 15 match losing streak to Roger Federer with a well-played 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 triumph. The win was Hewitt’s first over Federer since 2003. His career record against the Swiss is now 8-17.

After the match, a joyful Hewitt said, “It’s fantastic. Roger’s a hell of an opponent; his grass court record speaks for itself. Any time you play Roger on a grass court, you know you’re in for a hell of a battle and I was lucky to get out of today’s match.”

At 29, Hewitt has undergone numerous surgeries and mounted several comeback efforts. This triumph may be the sweetest of his career that includes 28 tour level championships.

Hewitt rode the momentum of the second set tiebreaker to a first game break in the final set. At 5-4, Hewitt nearly faltered when he double faulted to give Roger a break point. The Australian gathered himself and struck a brave forehand that caught the line to even the game. He then held his next two service points to notch the win.

In a match of role reversals, Federer committed countless key unforced errors. In clutch points, Hewitt was the more aggressive player. In the end, the Aussie’s bold play denied Roger his 30th straight win at Halle.

Related Articles