Where Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Groth’s passion for representing their country is unbridled, the Davis Cup teammates’ career paths and playing styles are of marked contrast. Hewitt, a former world No.1 and two-time grand slam champion is the tenacious baseline counterpuncher; Groth, the late-blooming big server, better known for sending down a 263km/h world record first delivery.
In stifling humidity at last year’s Brisbane International, Hewitt upended Kei Nishikori in the semifinals before stunning top seed Roger Federer for the title.
“It doesn’t feel that long ago to tell you the truth. A dream come true to win another title in Australia,” he said. “It was an epic final against Roger Federer, one of the greats.”
Hewitt would go on to win in Newport later in 2014, the first time in a decade he had won multiple titles in the same season. It was in the same event that Groth reached his first ATP Tour semifinal.
“Obviously Lleyton is a guy I have looked up to for a long time but I feel I can give him some problems,” Groth said.
Women’s top seed Maria Sharapova will open Tuesday’s night session when she meets Kazakhstani qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova.
The Russian added a fifth grand slam singles crown to her collection on the clay at Roland Garros last year, and it was at the same site she beat Shvedova in their only previous meeting – a tight three-setter six years ago.
Despite coming through qualifying, Shvedova is not an entirely unknown package. The 27-year-old has made two grand slam singles quarterfinals – the 2010 and 2012 French Opens – and is remarkably one of only four players to have won a golden set in the open era; that’s a set won without conceding a single point. She did so en route to beating Sara Errani at Wimbledon three years ago.
Opening proceedings on Pat Rafter Arena on Tuesday’s day session will be former junior world No.1, Australian Daria Gavrilova, when she faces the big task of toppling third-seeded lefty, Angelique Kerber.
Currently ranked No.231, Moscow-born Gavrilova won’t be sitting idle in the rankings for long. She has won her past eight matches on Australian soil having claimed December’s Australian Open Wildcard Playoff before her run through qualifying and a first-round triumph over Alison Riske.
Kerber, though, has fond memories of her last outing on Pat Rafter Arena. The world No.9 spearheaded Germany’s defeat of Australia in the Fed Cup semifinals last April when she won both her singles rubbers against Sam Stosur and Casey Dellacqua.
Australian wildcard Marinko Matosevic made an impressive run to the quarterfinals of last year’s Brisbane International, where Roger Federer brought his run to a halt after three-set victories of Julien Benneteau and Sam Querrey. Having avoided the seeds, the world No.77 has a winnable first outing for the year when he meets world No.37 Steve Johnson for the first time, though he won’t have it easy against the American, who slashed more than 100 places off his ranking last season and posted four top 20 wins.
After her stunning upset of former world No.1 Jelena Jankovic on Day 1, two of the future faces of the game meet in the final day session feature match when Australian 21-year-old Ajla Tomljanovic meets Ukrainian 20-year-old Elina Svitolina. Under the guidance of David Taylor, the clean-striking Tomljanovic continues her comeback from mononucleosis and will meet the dangerous world No.28, a player who claimed their only previous match in three sets at Indian Wells two years ago. The Croatian-born Tomljanovic now calls Brisbane home and will bank on using that extra support she admitted to feeling during her first-round feat.