Points won by each set: [ 11-26, 34-28, 41-34, 36-25 ]
Points won directly on serve:
35 % Safin – 39 of 110
24 % Hewitt – 30 of 125
Hewitt [3] had exceptionally tough route to the final and paid the price for it. He led 4:1* in the 3rd set when the Russian collected seven straight games and held his serve comfortably to the end (in the 4th set Hewitt didn’t get two points in a game as a receiver). Safin’s last title even though he was just 25 y.o. – he couldn’t win another one playing the following five years. In the first round he destroyed the most successful player of the event – 18 y.o. Djokovic, for whom it was a major debut (fourth main-level event).
Safin’s route to his 15th & last title:
1 Novak Djokovic 6-0, 6-2, 6-1 🙂
2 Bohdan Ulihrach 6-4, 6-1, 6-3
3 Mario Ancic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
4 Olivier Rochus 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(5), 7-6(2)
Q Dominik Hrbaty 6-2, 6-4, 6-2
S Roger Federer 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(6), 9-7 – 1 m.p.
W Lleyton Hewitt 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4