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Hewitt beats del Potro to win Kooyong title

Australia's Hewitt holds aloft the trophy after he defeated Argentina's Del Potro in the final at the Kooyong Classic tennis tournament in Melbourne /
updated 12:50 a.m. ET Jan. 12, 2013

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Lleyton Hewitt rolled back the years and gave local fans some excitement before the Australian Open next week by demolishing world number seven Juan Martin del Potro 6-1 6-4 to claim the Kooyong Classic title on Saturday.

The 31-year-old Hewitt, who has been troubled with foot, toe, hip and hand injuries in recent years, also beat Canada's Milos Raonic and Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic at the eight-man invitational tournament.

The former world number one raced through the first set in 27 minutes before the Argentine regrouped in the second to give the second set scoreline some respectability.

Hewitt, who won the Kooyong tournament in 2011, could now loom as a dark horse at the Australian Open, where he has been drawn against world number nine Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia in the first round.

(Reporting by Greg Stutchbury; Editing by Alastair Himmer)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

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