KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — Lleyton Hewitt of Australia beat Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-1, 7-6 (3) in the first round of the Sony Open on Wednesday.
The 32-year-old Hewitt, who has won three Grand Slam titles, has not played the Sony Open since 2009. He’s spent much of the past three years injured and has undergone surgeries on his hip, left toe and left foot. Hewitt, once the top-ranked men’s player, is now at No. 91 and playing the tournament courtesy of a wildcard.
Xavier Malisse of Belgium needed 2 hours, 33 minutes to defeat American qualifier Rajeev Ram, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-4.
Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, the 2006 Sony Open champion, beat Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain, 6-3, 6-3, in a first-round match in the women’s draw.
