Lleyton Hewitt wins Sydney International
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-01-15 14:15

Top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt of Australia won the Sydney International for the fourth time in six years Saturday, beating Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-0 in the Australian Open tuneup event.

Hewitt, also the tournament winner in 2000, 2001 and 2004, has won 20 straight matches in the event. He has lost only one career match at the Sydney International Tennis Center, falling to Max Mirnyi in the first round of the 2000 Olympics.

Australia's Lleyton Hewitt holds the first place trophy after winning the finals of the Sydney International tennis tournament against Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 15, 2005. Hewitt won the match in straight sets, 7-5, 6-0, giving him his fourth Sydney International title.[AP]

In the all-Australian women's final, sixth-seeded Alicia Molik beat Samantha Stosur 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-5. Later Saturday, Australia's Todd Woodbridge and India's Mahesh Bhupathi faced Frenchmen Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra in the doubles final.

The Australian Open begins Monday in Melbourne.

Hewitt raced to a 5-0 lead, but Minar rallied to tie it at 5.

"It was a strange match ... momentum swings," Hewitt said. "I felt like I came out of the blocks extremely well, but then he loosened up a bit. When he got back to 5-5, I had to try to settle down and take it up a notch, and I was able to do that."

Hewitt has won 24 ATP Tour titles.

"I wasn't doing anything special," Minar said. "He (Hewitt) was playing some bad shots."

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