Hewitt’s Elimination Takes Out Favorite of the Home Crowd

The last Aussie standing wasn’t after today’s play.

As expected by many, Lleyton Hewitt, the 18-year-old who became the country’s hope after Andre Agassi took out Mark Philippoussis Sunday, lost to veteran Magnus Norman of Sweden, in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (6).

Hewitt had been on a season-opening streak like few had seen before, winning events at Auckland and Sydney leading up this Australian Open, and going three rounds deep here. That had even put him at No. 1 in the ATP’s new yearlong race that is geared to give a different look to the ranking confusion.

Norman, 25, is seeded No. 12 here and will face Nicolas Kiefer of Germany in a quarterfinal. Kiefer got there by taking out Wayne Ferreira of South Africa, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

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There will be two players from Morocco in the quarterfinals. Yes, that’s right, Morocco.

Younes El Aynaoui joined countryman Hicham Arazi in the final eight with a 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 10-8 thriller over Arnaud Clement of France today. The match took 3 hours 29 minutes.

When asked about his country’s one-two punch, El Aynaoui said, “This is premier.”

El Aynaoui will play the winner of the later match between Yevgeny Kafelnikov, seeded No. 2, and Christophe Rochus, of Belgium.

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Besides the upset of Serena Williams that put Elena Likhovtseva of Russia in a quarterfinal, veterans Conchita Martinez and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario also advanced. Martinez went fairly easily past Floridian Kristina Brandi, 6-1, 6-1, but Sanchez-Vicario, a finalist here twice but never a winner, struggled past Barbara Schett of Austria, 1-6, 6-0, 7-5.

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American veterans Alex O’Brien and Jared Palmer advanced into the men’s doubles quarterfinals, winning a tough 9-7 third set. Another American veteran, Rick Leach of Laguna Beach and USC, reached the same level by winning today. Leach teams with Ellis Ferreira of South Africa.