Hewitt advances to Hall of Fame semifinals
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Lleyton Hewitt is finding the grass courts of Newport to his liking.
Hewitt defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 6-4, 6-3 Thursday to advance to the semifinals at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. It marked his second straight-set victory in three matches.
Hewitt will play for Australia in the London Olympics at the All England Club in a few weeks.
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"It worked perfectly to come here before I go back to London and get ready for the Olympics," he said. "Any time I get an opportunity to represent Australia, it means a lot. I've done it in terms of Davis Cup, but the Olympics is a little bit different. To be able to play on grass, which is my favorite as a tennis player, is going to be great."
Wild card Ryan Harrison beat fellow American Jesse Levine 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals, while German Benjamin Becker ousted Canadian Milos Raonic 6-3, 6-3.
The 31-year old Hewitt, the No. 1 player for 75 consecutive weeks from 2001-03, has had five surgeries in the past four years. He entered the week ranked a career-low 233 on the ATP tour.
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He said his most recent operation on his left foot, which required a fusion with screws, was the toughest to overcome.
"It's been good. I wasn't sure what to really expect this week coming back to playing after having 4 1/2 months off," he said. "It was probably my toughest rehab to get over — the foot surgery. I had a couple of rough draws at Queens and Wimbledon (this year). It was nice to be able to get some rhythm this week and play my game. I feel like I've been getting better as every match went on."
In the other quarterfinal match, No. 2 seed Kei Nishikori of Japan was upset by American Rajeev Ram, the 2009 Newport champion, 7-6 (6), 6-3.
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Ram will face Hewitt on Saturday after Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
"Lleyton is someone I grew up watching on TV," he said. "I respect him a lot."
The tourney, the only one held on grass in North America, is played in conjunction with Hall of Fame inductions. Jennifer Capriati heads the 2012 class.
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Defending champion John Isner faces Izak Van Der Merwe in one quarterfinal on Friday.