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Hewitt & Stosur keep Olympic dream alive

 

Hewitt & Stosur keep Olympic dream alive

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AOC
Hewitt & Stosur keep Olympic dream alive

TENNIS: Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur have kept the Australian Olympic tennis dream alive with a convincing 6-3 6-3 straight sets victory over the Polish number four seeds in the opening mixed doubles round at Wimbledon on Day 5.

Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur have kept the Australian Olympic tennis dream alive with a convincing 6-3 6-3 straight sets victory over the Polish number four seeds in the opening mixed doubles round at Wimbledon on Day 5.

The unseeded Australians have played little mixed doubles together but were very cohesive and dominated the match against Marcin Matkowski and Agneiszka Radwanska.

Hewitt backed up just one a half hours after his singles match with Novak Djokovic and gave the Australians the perfect start with a strong opening service game. The triple Olympians then signalled their intentions early, breaking Matkowski’s serve in the second game and then going on to take the opening set 6-3 in 27 minutes.

In the second set the Australians broke Raswanska’s serve in the third game but the Polish pair broke back in the 6th game against Hewitt’s serve. The Aussie’s then bounced straight back, breaking Radwanska’s serve for the second time and then going on to claim the second set and match 6-3 6-3 in under an hour.

“That is the best we have played together, obviously playing Olympics for your country is a pretty big honour for both of us so we are out there giving 100 percent,” said Hewitt.

“Every day is going to be tough, if you don’t turn up one day you are going to lose, even today, a lot of momentum changes in mixed doubles and you have to stay on top of your game the whole time.
With just 16 places available for mixed doubles, the Aussies are now into the last eight and one step closer to a medal.

“There is not many teams but mixed doubles is tough,” said Hewitt.  “It sort of depends on the day really and that is why we are so glad to be in and to have an opportunity.”

With both players out of all other tennis events, Stosur was excited to be back out playing and a part of the Olympics.

“It is great to still be in an event,” she said.  “Obviously we would both have loved to go further in the singles but at least we have still go this one left so we will give it 100 per cent every day and be really pumped up for the next match.”

Hewitt and Stosur will play the winners of the Laura Robson/Andy Murray (GBR) and Lucie Hradecka/Radek Stepanek (CZE) opening round match on Day 7.

Jo Banning
Olympics.com.au

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