The opening round of the 2013 Sony Open got underway on Wednesday, and there were some solid names in action, as usual. Of particular note on the ATP side, three-time Grand Slam-winner Lleyton Hewitt advanced to the second round with a solid win over Joao Sousa of Portugal, 6-1, 7-6(3).
2013 Sony Open Tennis: Lleyton Hewitt wins 1st-round match
Lleyton Hewitt was victorious in his opening-round matchup at the 2013 Sony Open in Miami. He defeated Joao Sousa, 6-1, 7-6(3).
Al Bello
Hewitt is in the tournament as a wild card, and though he was at one point in his career at the top of the standings, he’s currently the No. 91 player in the world, with a 6-5 record thus far in 2013. Most recently, he was eliminated in the round of 32 at Indian Wells, Calif., losing to Stanislas Wawrinka.
But Hewitt didn’t struggle whatsoever with Sousa, who only barely managed to hold on to force the second set tiebreak. He’ll have a tough out in the next round though, as he’s got No. 11 Giles Simon to contend with.
In the women’s draw, Svetlana Kuznetsova was able to cruise past Lourdes Dominguez Lino, 6-3, 6-3. Kuznetsova won the Sony Open in 2006.
Some other notable names who have wrapped up their matches include Lukas Rosol, who made it past Gilles Muller, winning 7-5, 6-4. and Xavier Malisse, who bested Rajeev Ram, 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-4. The top seeds were not in action as they received byes, but some notable names including Nikolay Davydenko and James Blake still have not played their matches or have yet to finish.
More from SB Nation:
See More:
