It’s one those surprises that make tennis so exciting to follow: Joachim Johansson, the wild- card entry from Sweden, has eliminated Australian and eighth- seeded Lleyton Hewitt during the Malaysian Open’s first round 7-6, (9-7), 6-3.
No one was able to break in the opening set, though Johansson was able to capitalize on Hewitt error to get a 4–1 advantage. Hewitt had difficulty in holding serve in the succeeding games, but he was able to force Johansson to save some break points. In the end, the guy who did better at service won.
Consider this as Johansson’s continued steps into a comeback. Several injuries have derailed his career, causing him to retire in the first quarter of 2008. He wouldn’t even get into Malaysia if it weren’t for his wild-card draw.
When he retired, he placed 800th due to a shoulder injury. At his peak, he was the world’s number nine. He was able to win three ATP Tour singles and was a U.S. Open semi-finalist in 2004, even snatching a win against Andy Roddick who was the defending champion at that time.
Johansson also won games against other top-seeded players such as Nikolay Davydenko and Rafael Nadal. His win in the Malaysian Open now puts him up to 446th place.