Hewitt ends decade-long drought

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HOUSTON -- Lleyton Hewitt of Australia reached his first clay-court final in a decade with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory over Evgeny Korolev of Russia at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships on Saturday. The former No. 1 player will meet Wayne Odesnik of the United States in Sunday's title match. Odesnik reached the final with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Germany's Bjorn Phau. Hewitt won his 498th career match, moving him closer to joining Roger Federer and Carlos Moya as the only active players with 500 wins. A victory Sunday would give Hewitt his first title on clay since Delray Beach in 1999. There were no service breaks in the match until the final game of the second set, when Korolev fell behind love-40 and lost on the first match point with a backhand that sailed past the baseline. Hewitt faced no break points in the match and gained control of the first-set tiebreaker on four straight errors by the Russian. Korolev hit a backhand into the net to bring on the first set point at 6-2. Hewitt won the set with a strong forehand to the corner just out of Korolev's reach. Odesnik is trying to become the first American to win a clay-court event since 2006 when Mardy Fish won the U.S. Men's Clay Court title in Houston. Odesnik faced little drama until the sixth game of the second set, when he led 5-1. Phau fought off the first match point with a forehand winner. Facing a break point, Odesnik served what he thought was an ace, but it was overruled. He double-faulted on his second serve for the break. That only delayed the outcome. Odesnik held in the ninth game and won it on the second match point when Phau hit a forehand beyond the baseline.