26 June,2009 08:59 AM IST | | AFP
Australia's Lleyton Hewitt stunned Argentine fifth seed Juan Martin Del Potro 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 yesterday to reach Wimbledon's third round. Hewitt, the 2002 champion, will face Philipp Petzschner of Germany for a place in the last 16.
The Australian 28-year-old, whose ranking has slipped to 56 following hip surgery, confidently ended the hopes of the 20-year-old Argentine. His Centre Court win meant so much to him that he collapsed to his knees in celebration at the end. "I haven't beaten a top five player for a long time," said Hewitt.
"I was really up for it today. I knew that Juan Martin is a helluva player. It's a big win. I have a lot of respect for Juan Martin. He's going to be a future Grand Slam champion. He's an exceptional player but still a little bit raw so I tried to take advantage of that."
Hewitt said he thrived on the support of the crowd. "It was a lot of fun. I was the underdog and I competed as well as I have ever competed."
Del Potro admitted as a kid he was a fan of Hewitt. "He's one of my idols. I started to follow him was when I was 12 years-old."
