MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt defeated an ailing Gael Monfils 7-5 6-3 to win the invitational Kooyong Classic in Melbourne yesterday and took a timely shot of confidence into next week’s Australian Open.
Hewitt appeared in great touch to wrap up the match in 89 minutes, but the 12th-ranked Frenchman was clearly restricted in his movement and grimaced repeatedly when chasing down returns on a steamy day at Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club.
Monfils said in the lead up to the tournament he had struggled to recover from a knee injury in the wake of France’s Davis Cup final loss to Serbia last month, but it was a back problem that afflicted him yesterday.
“I felt something,” Monfils told reporters. “I hope it’s not major. That’s why I took it easy in the end. I started to feel it more but I think it should be okay.”
