Lleyton Hewitt made the semi-finals of the ATP Queen’s tournament, edging out Russian Igor Andreev 6-3 7-5 on Friday. Elsewhere, defending champion Andy Roddick set a new world record with a 153mph serve in his 6-3 6-3 win against Paradorn Srichaphan.
Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt extended his phenomenal Queen’s Club record on Friday, beating Igor Andreev 6-3 7-5 for a place in the semi-finals of the Stella Artois Championships.
Three-times former champion Hewitt has now won 21 of his last 22 matches on the west London grass courts and battled past the in-form Russian in 79 minutes.
“He goes for his shots and is playing really well,” Hewitt said. “I am pleased to get a shot at another Stella final.
“It doesn’t get any easier, though… although I am winning and feeling like I am getting better and better each match.”
Next up for the 2002 Wimbledon champion will be former world number one Andy Roddick.
The defending champion and top seed smashed his way into the semi-finals of the Stella Artois championships on Friday, destroying Paradorn Srichaphan and cracking down the world’s fastest serve along the way. His record-breaking 153 miles per hour (246.2 km/h) piledriver — one mile an hour quicker than his previous best — came at the beginning of the second set as he walloped the Thai 6-3 6-3.
His record-breaking 153 miles per hour (246.2 km/h) piledriver — one mile an hour quicker than his previous best — came at the beginning of the second set as he walloped the Thai 6-3 6-3.
In the bottom half of the draw Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean — the last man to have beaten Hewitt at Queen’s — beat Czech Radek Stepanek 6-3 6-3 and Lee Hyung-taik of South Korea beat Slovakia’s Karol Beck 6-3 6-4.