Faltering Hewitt is still top Open tip

Lleyton Hewitt's second consecutive defeat, 6-3, 6-4 to James Blake on Saturday as the United States clinched the mixed team title at the Hopman Cup in Perth, has not changed his status as favourite for the Australian Open which starts next Monday.

Yesterday Marat Safin of Russia, a former world No1, said Hewitt was right to pace himself as he tries to become the first Australian to win the men's singles in his home grand slam since Mark Edmondson in 1976.

"You can't play great tennis for four or five weeks because you will get tired," Safin said. "You have to prepare yourself as well as you can for the big one."

Blake, who followed Jiri Novak in beating Hewitt, said: "His chances are pretty darn good still. I think he is probably the favourite. He plays well on that surface, he grew up on it.

"He's going to have the crowd support but it could be a bit of a double-edged sword. It could be tough with all the pressure. He's going to have to deal with that every single match he plays."

But while American spectators were cheering victory in Australia, their compatriots in Doha were left frustrated by the improbable achievements of an outsider.

The courtside stars and stripes had ceased to flutter by the time Jan-Michael Gambill suffered a shock defeat to the unseeded Stefan Koubek in the final of the Qatar Open yesterday.

The Austrian's 6-4, 6-4 win over the 2000 Wimbledon quarter-finalist from Washington made him the most surprising No1 ever on the ATP Tour, placing him top of the Champions Race for at least a week and probably until the end of the Australian Open in three weeks.

It also made Koubek the least known of the winners of the $1m (£620,000) tournament, having spent most of his career languishing outside the world's top 50, and could serve to increase the critics of the race.

The format was introduced two years ago in place of a ranking system using a 12-month moving window. "It's nice to be No1 but it would be mean a lot more to be No1 at the end of the year," admitted Koubek, whose realistic ambition is to end 2003 inside the top 30.

Gambill, a colourful character who collects Jaguars and is seeking an acting role in Star Trek, still reckons he can boldly go on to a place in the top 20 despite his disappointing loss. "It was an exciting week for me," said the man who beat both the top-seeded Roger Federer and Russia's Davis Cup hero Michael Youzhny.