Hewitt advances to quarter-final

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LLEYTON Hewitt likes his chances of being the last man standing as the Brisbane International men's quarter-finalists prepare for a heatwave double-header today and tomorrow.

Hewitt, with high hopes of a strong Australian summer to lift his ranking of No.60, was as tenacious and almost as efficient as he was when a top-five player a decade ago in inflicting a 7-5, 6-3 win over Spain's sixth seed Feliciano Lopez yesterday.

If forecasts prove correct, players will walk into a furnace in the day session today when three men's quarter-finals and one women's semi-final are played.

Bureau of Meteorology forecasts yesterday afternoon were for a maximum of 37C today and 41C when the two men's semi-finals will be played in the heat of the day tomorrow.

Top seed Roger Federer is spared the heat with his quarter against Marinko Matosevic scheduled to open tonight's session, but the tradeoff is the winner will have a few hours less time to recover for tomorrow's semi-final.

In the second match in the day session, Hewitt will play Marius Copil, a Romanian qualifier who scored the second career win over a top-20 player when he fought off France's third seed Gilles Simon 7-5, 6-3 to make his first ATP quarter-final.

"I feel I can last as well as anyone on the court and it's a good sign leading into the Australian Open,'' Hewitt, ranked No.60, said.

Lleyton Hewitt of Australia hits a backhand volley in his match against Feliciano Lopez of Spain at the Brisbane International tennis tournament. Source: AFP

Chasing his first week-one title win since his Adelaide final win 14 years ago, Hewitt, 32, said he was glad to have "snuck out'' of both his matches in straight sets at Pat Rafter Arena ahead of the gruelling test ahead.

Overhead cover at Pat Rafter Arena and show court 1 are a factor in favour of matches proceeding despite the heat.

The arbiter of whether the men's matches can proceed safely at the Queensland Tennis Centre will be ATP supervisor Lars Graff.

Women's matches can be postponed if readings are too high on a heat stress monitor readings which can be taken three times a day by the WTA physios on site.

This measures both the temperature and humidity, takes into account heat coming off the court and are taken at 30 minutes before play starts, midday and just before the start of the last matches matches.

The courts and balls play faster in elevated heat and humidity, with Hewitt saying the conditions in Brisbane are as fast as any on the tour, owing also to a lack of grit on the courts this year and balls which he believes are different from those used by Tennis Australia last summer.

The winner between Hewitt and Copli, 23, will advance to a semi-final tomorrow against either second seed Kei Nishikori or Croatian Marin Cilic.

Lleyton Hewitt of Australia reacts after he won the first set against Feliciano Lopez of Spain. Source: AP

South Africa's fourth seed Kevin Anderson withdrew with a stomach virus, the sixth player to quit the tournament through injury or illness.

Anderson was to have played Australian wildcard Sam Groth last night.

Caroline Wozniacki (shoulder), Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki (gastro), Queensland qualifier Ash Barty (torn left adductor), Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (thigh) and Canberra wildcard Nick Kyrgios (shoulder) previously quit the tournament before or during matches at Tennyson.

Lopez served for the first set against Hewitt at 5-4, but the Australian found a way of countering the Spanish left-hander in their backcourt duel, admitting he targeted his opponent's backhand.

Copil, ranked No.147, beat only two top-100 players in 2013 but he says he has made improvements to his fitness since his father Craciun took charge of his fitness in mid-November.

"He is there for a reason. I'm old enough to know I have to back well tomorrow,'' Hewitt said.

Copil, 23, last year beat only two top-100 players but he says he has made improvements to his fitness since his father Craciun, who played flanker and No.8 for the Romanian rugby team in the late 1970 took charge of his fitness in mid-November.

"The heat for me is no problem,'' Copil said.

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