In a sentimental gem of a match out on the Grandstand at the US Open, “Comeback Kid” Brian Baker took on Australia’s native son, Lleyton Hewitt.  They are two men separated by a mere four years in age but whose careers have taken very different arcs. 

Recently, Baker has been one of the best feel-good stories in tennis.  After a positive stint as a junior that included an Orange Bowl title and finalist showing at Roland Garros in 2003, the American was forced to undergo a litany of surgeries, including three on the hips, one on the elbow, and one sports hernia.  The necessary surgeries nearly ended his career before it even got off the ground, but he was able to miraculously make a successful return to the professional circuit last season. Sadly, he endured a further setback earlier this year when he suffered a meniscus tear in his right knee at the Australian Open.  Proving that you can’t keep a good man down, he made yet another return to ATP-level tennis at the Cincinnati Masters in the hopes that this time his game might finally be allowed to gain some traction.

Contrast that with the stellar career of Lleyton Hewitt.  The veteran Aussie has enjoyed his share of success since turning professional in 1998.  He remains the youngest player to have achieved the No. 1 singles ranking at age 20, owns US Open and Wimbledon singles crowns, and won the ATP year-end championships consecutively in 2001 and 2002.  But the Aussie has not experienced results of that caliber in more than a decade.  Like Baker, Hewitt has had to overcome his share of injuries and medical procedures in recent years, including multiple hip, foot, and toe surgeries. 

With each man coming into the US Open carrying that kind of baggage, this was always going to be more than just a mere first-round match.  For Baker, it was the chance to embrace the moments that he thought he might never have.  For Hewitt, it was the opportunity to enjoy what he knows to be a handful of the last few moments he has left as a professional. 

It was an edgy start to the match.  Before the end of the second game, each player had already burned through one challenge, and the chair umpire had to overrule an incorrect service call.  But as the two men began to settle and dig their teeth into the contest, it was Baker who appeared to have the upper hand.

The 28-year-old had more zip on his groundstrokes and twice led by a break in the first set, thanks in part to two double faults from Hewitt in the fifth game.  Unfortunately for Baker, he once again failed to consolidate and found himself even with the former No. 1 at 3-3.

But things would not stay even for long.  The second half of the set belonged to Hewitt.  The Australian went on to win the next three games and take a one-set lead.  He did so thanks in large part to his 80% effectiveness on first serves (compared to a scant 55% for Baker).  Moreover, he committed only seven unforced errors to Baker’s fourteen. 

Set two would prove very different from set one.  Baker began to dial in on his groundstrokes, while Hewitt showed off his wheels to play some phenomenal defense.  The varying styles were reflected in the stats, as Baker outhit Hewitt by nineteen winners to three, but there was little to choose between the two until Baker broke to go up 5-3 and move within a game of leveling the match.  That was also the moment that Mother Nature decided to get involved, temporarily delaying proceedings with yet another rain shower. 

The delay did not do Baker any favors.  Perhaps having too much time to dwell on his failure to consolidate his previous leads, he promptly stepped to the line when play resumed and put in a horrendous game to drop serve.  Unlike in the first set, however, the American managed to hold it together to break Hewitt right back and square things up at a set apiece.     

Sadly for Baker and his fans, he failed miserably to carry any momentum into the third.  Hewitt, ever the ultimate competitor, bounced back with a vengeance.  The Australian quickly jumped out to a 3-0 double break lead as his opponent struggled just to keep the ball in play.  Baker briefly righted the ship midway through the set, but Hewitt quickly regained control, breaking Baker in the final game to cap off the set 6-3.  Don’t let that 6-3 fool you, either.  Hewitt won more than twice as many first-serve points and committing twenty fewer unforced errors than did his American foe.  Thus, the third set was a much more one-sided affair than that score line would suggest.

Like Baker a set before, however, Hewitt couldn’t maintain the momentum going into the next set.  With both players allowing nerves to seep into their games, the fourth set proved to be very similar to the first but for two crucial differences.  First, it was Hewitt, not Baker, who kept pulling ahead by a break.  Second, unlike Baker, Hewitt was able to overcome the disappointment of losing those breaks to eventually win the set and the match, 6-4. But it has to be said that Baker helped Hewitt’s cause in the deciding set by committing another twenty-two unforced errors and some very costly double faults.

In the end, it was Hewitt’s tenacity, consistency, and predominantly his experience that saw him through this match.  The father of three showed that, although he might move a hair slower these days, he still has plenty of game.  He will have his work cut out for him in the second round against Juan Martin Del Potro, but don’t expect him to roll over for the No. 6 seed.  Time has not diminished the Australian’s competitive drive.  He will look to do everything that he can to extend his stay in New York by doing what he has always done well throughout his decorated career—soldier on.