To celebrate the closing of the current Grandstand, with a new Grandstand stadium set to debut in the southwest corner of the grounds in 2016, USOpen.org is taking a look back at some of the greatest singles matches in Grandstand history. Here, we look back at the 2015 second-round match between No. 24 seed Bernard Tomic and former US Open champion Lleyton Hewitt.
This all-Australian battle was the textbook definition of passing the torch. Twenty-two-year-old Bernard Tomic has long been viewed by his home country as a talented yet temperamental player who has all the skills to become a future star of the game. Meanwhile, 2001 US Open champion Lleyton Hewitt needed a wild card to compete in his 16th and final US Open at the age of 34.
Tomic breezed through the first two sets and it appeared that the intriguing battle would end anticlimactically. But in typical Hewitt fashion, the former world No. 1 dug deep to take the third set as day turned into night.
Hewitt changed tactics as the match went on, frequently slicing his backhand to lure Tomic into prolonged baseline rallies, and the mental energy required to win points began wear on Tomic. He failed to serve out the match at 5-3 in the fourth set and Hewitt unleashed a trademark fist pump after eventually bringing the match to a deciding fifth set.
The match not only featured high-quality drama in the rallies, but also examples of outstanding sportsmanship. Hewitt offered Tomic advice on when to challenge calls, while both players applauded each other’s winners.
In the end, however, it was Hewitt, so long known for his mental toughness, who faltered. The two-time Grand Slam tournament champion squandered two match points with Tomic serving at 5-4 in the final set. And then, on his second match point, Tomic finally won the three-hour 27-minute contest, capturing the last four games to complete a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5 victory. When it was over, both players embraced at the net.
“He's a huge legend for me,” Tomic said on court after the match. “It was very difficult playing him tonight. ... It was very emotional.”
Their on-court relationship may not be ending anytime soon, though. Hewitt is rumored to be the lead candidate to become the new Davis Cup captain for Australia starting in 2016.
