Younes El Aynaoui has knocked world number one Lleyton Hewitt out of the Australian Open today to reach the quarter-finals of the year's first Grand Slam.
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Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in action against Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco during the Australian Open Tennis Championships at Melbourne Park in Melbourne. Photo: Adam Pretty/Getty Images
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The 18th seed from Morocco, playing in searing heat on the Rod Laver Arena court, sent the home favourite crashing out 6-7 (4/7) 7-6 (7/4) 7-6 (7/5) 6-4.
The turning point when the match was in a third successive tie-break.
Hewitt led 4-2 but his opponent, who modelled his game on Ivan Lendl as a youngster, lashed several forehand winners as the great Czech used to do and mixed in a winning lob to overturn
the deficit and clinch the set.
Hewitt then double-faulted to give El Aynaoui a break and a 4-3 lead in the fourth set.
Both players then held serve before El Aynaoui served out for the match.
PA