Brisbane: Former No. 1-ranked Lleyton Hewitt turned back to the clock with a gritty 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 win over second-seeded Kei Nishikori on Saturday to advance to the Brisbane International final and a possible showdown with Roger Federer.
The 32-year-old Hewitt handled the heat better than his Japanese opponent as the temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), reaching his first final on home soil since losing the 2005 Australian Open decider to Marat Safin. Top-seeded Federer was playing eighth-seeded Jeremy Chardy in a later semi-final.
Hewitt, back in the top 70 in the rankings for the first time in three years after struggling with long-term toe and foot problems, won the 2001 U.S. Open and 2002 Wimbledon and spent 80 weeks at No. 1 before Federer assumed the top ranking and held onto it for 4½ years.
Despite giving up eight years to Nishikori, Hewitt scrambled in his trademark way and overcame some setbacks. At 5-5 in the first set, he was up 40-0 on his serve before Nishikori won the next five points and then held for the set. Hewitt faced breakpoints at 4-4 in the second but managed to hold and then broke Nishikori in the 10th game to level the match. He then raced out to a 3-0 lead in the third before closing it out.
"I love a battle," Hewitt said. "Mentally this is a major win to have come back and gone the distance." Defending champion Serena Williams was set to face second-ranked Victoria Azarenka for the women's title on Saturday night. The Williams sisters were hoping to both win a WTA Tour event in the same week for the first time in 15 years, but Ana Ivanovic prevented that when she beat Venus Williams 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in the final of the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand.
Ivanovic broke a drought with the win, claiming her 12th career singles title and her first since Bali in 2011. Williams was the crowd's sentimental favorite after fighting her way to the final of her first tournament since September. After a long struggle with injury and illness, her form in Auckland supported her claim before the tournament to be fitter and healthier than she has been in years.
She saved a match point in the second set and pressed Ivanovic strongly after dropping her serve in the opening game of the third. Ivanovic showed signs of nerves when she failed to serve out the match in the second set. She fell behind 15-40 in the last game before recovering to win the match on her second championship point.
Williams served five aces and hit 27 forehand winners and 16 winners at the net. However, she also had 64 unforced errors - including eight double faults - to Ivanovic's 47. She was 8-1 in matches against Ivanovic before Saturday's final. "We've played a lot of great matches and this is another one," Williams said. "I just kept fighting despite the odds. She was playing so well."
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