MELBOURNE — An emotional Lleyton Hewitt staved off retirement for at least one more match by beating countryman James Duckworth 7-6(5) 6-2 6-4 to reach the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday.
The hard-bitten 34-year-old, making a record 20th and final appearance at his home grand slam, soaked up the atmosphere under the Rod Laver Arena lights and celebrated wildly after sealing the win in two hours and 23 minutes.
"It was a tough situation absolutely to try and block out everything else that's been going on," the two-times grand slam champion, who last year announced he would end his career after the Melbourne tournament, said in a courtside interview.