Hewitt edges Baghdatis in thriller

Lleyton Hewitt advanced to the last 16 of the Australian Open after surviving a five-set thriller on an epic day at the Australian Open which saw play continue until 4.34am local time.

The match began at 11.51pm on Saturday night due to world number one Roger Federer's five-set epic with Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic, finishing deep into Sunday morning after Hewitt drew on every ounce of his trademark fighting spirit to prevail 4-6 7-5 7-5 6-7 (4/7) 6-3.

The match should have finished in the fourth set but 19th seed Hewitt squandered a match-point, two breaks of serve and a 5-1 advantage, much to the amazement of Baghdatis and the Rod Laver Arena crowd.

Hewitt fell to his knees and collapsed onto the famous centre-court surface after securing the exhausting and emotional contest with a forehand that teased the baseline.

The two-time grand slam winner then warmly embraced his vanquished foe at the net, before soaking up the thunderous reception.

Baghdatis overcame what looked a serious ankle injury early in the third set to mount numerous courageous comebacks. Out on his feet, the Cypriot wiped away tears as he headed up the tunnel to a standing ovation of his own.

Hewitt described the win - which books him a place in the fourth round against Novak Djokovic - as one of his most memorable and brave.

"In a lot of ways it was not only a physical battle but a mental battle for both of us," Hewitt said.
"Having a match-point and serving for it a couple of times in the fourth set (without success), but being able to bounce back as strong as I did and put that all behind me in the fifth, mentally this will go down as one of my best wins."

Baghdatis was proud of his performance but shattered by the defeat. "It is tough, but it's a positive thing. I love the game," Baghdatis said. "It's another time that I went out there, I lost the match, but I came out with so many good emotions."