Australian Open 2010: Live

Two years ago, Hewitt did not complete his Australian Open third-round win against Marcos Baghdatis until 4.34am, the latest finish in grand slam history, but this time it was a little after 8pm when he went through to a last-16 meeting with Federer, as the Cypriot retired in the second set of the rematch.

Melbourne’s insomniacs had to find something else to watch. When the Australian played Baghdatis in 2008, also in the third round, also on a Saturday evening, the match was epic with a capital E, as it was close to midnight when they walked out into the stadium, and they stayed out there for five sets and almost five hours.

Melbourne’s nightclubbers were in bed before the Australian No 1 was. On this occasion, Hewitt and Baghdatis played less than an hour of tennis. Hewitt took the first set 6-0 in 21 minutes, with Baghdatis winning only six points.

It was clear that Baghdatis was in some discomfort with his shoulder, and before he started the second set he called for some medical attention. Baghdatis was trailing 2-4 in the second set when he performed the sign of the cross, walked to the net and informed Hewitt that he was in no fit state to complete the match.

It is a moot point what was more excruciating in Melbourne last week – the fawning over Prince William during his visit to the city, including the special royal editions of the newspapers, and a full-page interview of a supermarket worker who happened to kiss him on the cheek, or the contention by some Australians that Hewitt, the winner of the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon titles, should be regarded as a possible champion at this grand slam.

It would appear that republicanism and common sense have taken a running jump into the River Yarra, and are now floating several miles downstream. Anyone who thinks that Hewitt is going to win this championships has the flag in his eyes; even the Henmaniacs picnicking in front of a big screen at Wimbledon were never that deluded about Tim’s chances in his latter years.

Hewitt had his opportunity to win the Australian Open; that was five years ago, when he played Russia’s Marat Safin in the final. Hewitt is tennis Vegemite in Melbourne; some of the Australian public love him, and the rest aren’t so keen, and a few of those in the former group have been suggesting that he can defeat Federer and then go on to win his first grand slam title for eight years.

Federer has won his last 14 matches against Hewitt, the world No 22. Indeed, you have to go all the way back to a Davis Cup tie in 2003 for the last time that the Australian got the better of the Swiss.

“It’s not going to be easy against Rog,” said Hewitt. Like Hewitt, Federer also coasted through his third-round match. Since his difficulties against Igor Andreev in the first round, when the Russian was three times a point away from going two sets to one up, Federer has had a smooth, clean, stress-free tournament.

He beat Spain’s Albert Montanes with ease, just as he was supposed to do, winning 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. “I don’t want to say I’m playing the best tennis of my life, because I haven’t so far,” said Federer. “I’m happy I survived a scare against Andreev. After that, I was able to come through comfortably in the next two rounds into week two. I feel like I’m obviously fresh and ready to take on the bigger names.”

The day also brought Davydenko’s third straightforward, straight-sets victory of the tournament, this time a 6-0, 6-3, 6-4 win over Juan Monaco, the No 30 seed from Argentina. The Russian has dropped just 17 games all tournament, and if he continues to play as he has done, he will beat Spain’s Fernando Verdasco, a semi-finalist last season.

The winner of Federer’s match with Hewitt will play Davydenko or Verdasco. You would imagine that Federer would prefer to go through to play the Spaniard, as Davydenko, who is suddenly fashionably unfashionable, has won his last two meetings with the Swiss, in London and in Doha. Davydenko has won his last 12 matches, a run that began in the group stages of the end-of-season tournament in London last November.

After Davydenko won the title in London, which was the most important tournament victory of his career, President Vladimir Putin wrote him a letter, though the Kremlin did not know the world No 6’s address, so he is yet to read it.

Djokovic, the champion in Melbourne two years ago, defeated Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin in straight sets, and will next play Poland’s Lukasz Kubot, who was given a walk-over after Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny withdrew with a wrist injury. Since winning the 2008 Australian Open, the Serbian has not reached another grand slam final, let alone won another grand slam title.

But no one could accuse Djokovic of not taking his tennis seriously enough, as he recently turned down an offer to play the first monarch of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in a series for Serbian television.