Hewitt advances in Cincinnati Tennis

CINCINNATI: Australia''s Lleyton Hewitt saved two match points in a second-set tiebreaker and rallied to beat Sweden''s Robin Soderling 3-6, 7-6 (10/8), 6-4 to advance at the ATP Cincinnati Masters.

Soderling was the man who knocked Rafael Nadal out of the French Open, ending the Spaniard''s four-year reign at Roland Garros on his way to the final where he lost to Roger Federer, just as he did in the Wimbledon fourth round.

Former world number one Hewitt had only 11 unforced errors to 50 for Soderling in reaching the second round of the three-million-dollar hardcourt tournament, where he will face Germany''s Benjamin Becker for the first time.

Italy''s Andreas Seppi booked a place in the second round opposite Spain''s Nadal with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 comeback triumph over Czech Jan Hernych.

Russia''s Mikhail Youzhny defeated Romania''s Victor Hanescu 7-5, 6-2 to reach a second-round match against Spain''s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who ousted 11th-seeded countryman Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/4).

Austrian Jurgen Melzer outlasted Spain''s Feliciano Lopez 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (9/7) to reach a second-round match with French lucky loser Julien Benneteau.