Hewitt seethes after historic Open loss

An enraged Hewitt accused Martin of poor sportsmanship

MELBOURNE, Australia -- A bitter Lleyton Hewitt has become the first top seed to lose in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament since 1990, crashing out of the Australian Open to an unheralded Spaniard.

Hewitt, the world number one and first homegrown top seed at the Australian Open since 1976, breezed through the first set but then crumbled as he traded blows from backcourt with Alberto Martin.

After losing 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 in three and a half hours, Hewitt embarked on a furious row with Martin.

Martin enraged Hewitt by taking a medical break to have his thigh massaged for cramp just two points from victory in the fourth set tiebreak.

The Spaniard received treatment courtside then won the next two points to seal a 1-6 6-1 6-4 7-6 victory and become the first player to beat a top seed in the opening round of the Open men's singles in the history of the tournament.

"That is not the right thing to do in the middle of the game," Hewitt fumed afterwards.

"I think it is a shocker to do that at 5-4. You can read into it what you like because he was really struggling at 4-4 when he hit a great winner.

"It would have made my chances a lot better if he'd played fair."

Hewitt had received treatment for blisters and for thigh cramps earlier in the match, however, and Martin hit back: "He called the trainer and it is fair...I call the trainer and it is not fair? The rules are the rules.

"I felt cramp and I called the trainer. It is a problem but the rules are the rules. I didn't do anything against the rules so I think it is fair."

But Hewitt said: "I don't know how many referees and umpires we had at the side of the court...I saw about three who all saw that.

"Somebody has got to put their balls on the line, I think, otherwise somebody will take advantage of that like he did today.

"I had problems with my legs early on and cramped up...I went up to the umpire and said 'can you call the trainer, but I will wait until the change of ends because it is not the right thing to do in the middle of a game'.

Top seeds gone

Hewitt joined number two seed Gustavo Kuerten third seed Andre Agassi, the winner here in 2000 and 2001, as early casualties of the season's first major.

Agassi withdrew before a ball was hit, citing a wrist injury he picked up in an exhibition match Saturday against Pete Sampras, and Kuerten lost in five sets Monday in the first round.

The player with a profile far exceeding her ranking, Anna Kournikova, bowed out in the first round to Belgian Justine Henin

Stefan Edberg was number one seed at the 1990 U.S. Open when he lost his opener 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-2 to Russia's Alexander Volkov.

Hewitt, the reigning U.S. Open champion, was recovering from chicken pox.

He looked like he might turn the match around when he broke for 2-1 and then 3-2 in the fourth set. But Martin broke back a second time in the set for 4-4 before games went with serve.

The Australian led 3-0 in the tiebreaker, but fell behind 5-4 when Martin sent him back with a lob and then put away an overhead.

Serving for survival, Hewitt put a backhand out to give Martin two match points and then dumped a backhand into the net.

Martin finished 2001 at number 41 and had notched just one win in four Australian Opens. Hewitt overhauled Kuerten for top spot during the Masters Cup last November in Sydney, winning all his matches at the year-end championship to become the youngest number one.

Capriati in dreamland

Jennifer Capriati, the women's top seed, began defense of her Australian Open championship with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Croatia's Silvija Talaja in a shade over an hour, sealing match point on a forehand winner.

The 25-year-old American, who broke through for her first Grand Slam title last year in Melbourne and then added the French Open crown, assumed top ranking Monday after Lindsay Davenport had withdrawn from the year's first major to have knee surgery.

Ai Sugiyama, from Japan, won her first-round match against Rachel McQuillan

"I like the feeling and I want to try to keep it for a while, and set a new goal for myself and a new challenge and take myself to a new level in my career," she said.

Against Talaja, she had two breaks in the first set and then, after breaking to lead 2-1 in the second, won all remaining games.

Former world number one Pete Sampras opened with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win over Jarkko Nieminen of Finland.

The 30-year-old American wasted four match points on Nieminen's serve at 3-5 in the third, but set up another in the next game with his 13th ace and finished with a service winner.

"That's what I was needing and today was a good start," he said. "My game was there today. I served well, I was putting pressure on his serve."

Longevity record

Sampras said the absence of Agassi and Kuerten helped his bid for a 14th Grand Slam title and his first since Wimbledon 2000.

"Well yeah, I'm one of the favorites," he said. "When I get my game going, I'm tough to beat."

That was before Hewitt's loss. He'd rated the young Aussie a tough favorite and then said: "I'm in that league."

Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov, the 1999 Australian Open champion, is the highest seed left in the draw. He's No. 4. Sampras is No. 8

Tommy Haas, the seventh seed, ousted Russian Andrei Stoliarov 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 and Jan-Michael Gambill lost for the fifth consecutive year in the Australian Open's first round.

Wayne Ferreira, ranked 63rd, beat No. 19 Gambill 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (6).

Gambill, wearing a body-hugging white long sleeve shirt, worked Ferreira from corner to corner but the South African replied with more, producing 50 winners against the American's 32.

Ferreira is playing in his 45th consecutive Grand Slam event and has the longest longest active streak. Edberg has the record with 54.

No. 11 Roger Federer won 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 against Michael Chang, who has fallen to No. 94 from his career-high No. 2 ranking in 1996.

Kournikova kisses goodbye

In women's matches, Wimbledon finalist Justine Henin mixed a mighty backhand with some pinpoint lobs in a 6-2, 7-5 win over Russia's Anna Kournikova.

"I played against a personality and the crowd loved that," Henin said. "It's always difficult when you're in front of her to give 100 percent, because it's hard to concentrate, but I'm happy I won in straight sets. It was a first for me - for my confidence it's good."

Kournikova, who slipped from No. 8 to No. 64 after missing 15 tournaments last year with a left foot stress fracture, was upbeat despite her early exit.

"This is only the third tournament of the year. I've got to be positive and try to play better and better every time," Kournikova said. "I have plenty of time. It's already getting better from last year, from the end of the season. That's the way it should be."

Japan's Ai Sugiyama rallied to beat Australia's Rachael McQuillan, Australian Bryanne Stewart eliminated Jana Nejedly -- Canada's only representative in the men's or women's singles draws -- and Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik ended Anna Smashnova's winning streak.

The Israeli had won WTA titles in Auckland, New Zealand, and Canberra in the last two weeks.