Hewitt Breaks Down Isner in Shanghai

In what could have been an epic battle of youth and power vs. age and speed, Lleyton Hewitt dismantled John Isner, 6-2, 6-4, in a match that was nowhere near as close as the score would indicate.

Isner is now at a ranking of #42, just shy of the career-high #38 he reached in September.  Defending few points from the early part of the season, it's likely he'll be getting seeded at Grand Slams for the first time by Wimbledon next year, if not sooner. 

But in Shanghai, the first Masters event outside the US he ever received a direct entry into, he looked to have taken a step back.  The strong returning, consistency and patience that helped get him to the second week of the US Open were nowhere to be found in this match, and he looked like the completely one dimensional player he was for the earlier parts of his career.

Hewitt, for his part, continues to look great.  He continues to be able to get ball after ball back in play against big hitters like Isner, keeping the rallies going until an eventual error comes off his opponent's racquet.

Nine of Hewitt's last twelve losses have come to opponents inside the top ten, which shows that he isn't prone to having untimely exits at tournaments the way so many in the 8-30 echelon of the ranks can be.  With his experience and constant effort, Hewitt should be able to find his way into the top twenty and perhaps even higher by the time the American spring hard court swing ends.

In other news, I'm fairly sure the entire crowd of the Qizhong Arena (which has a maximum capacity of 15,000) could have fit inside my living room.  I understand why big tournaments are put in countries with big money smaller tennis traditions, but this was embarrassingly empty for a Masters event.  And with neither Federer nor Andy Murray not in the draw, it's possible the crowds won't get much better.