Day 3 at US Open: Roger Federer, Lleyton Hewitt Each Win to Set Up Rematch

Roger Federer once wondered how he was ever going to beat Lleyton Hewitt.

Photo: Day 3 at US Open: Roger Federer, Lleyton Hewitt Each Win to Set Up Rematch

Hewitt dominated the series back when the Australian was in the midst of winning two Grand Slam titles and Federer was still chasing his first major championship.

Hard to remember now that the top-ranked Swiss has won 13 straight matchups.

The two set up another showdown by winning their second-round matches Wednesday at the U.S. Open. Federer beat Simon Greul 6-3, 7-5, 7-5, while Hewitt defeated Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.

"On any given day, a former world No. 1, a guy who's won majors, is very, very dangerous," Federer said. "That's why I have to make sure I get into the match quickly, not give him the lead, because we know he's not going to go down without a fight," The Associated Press reports.

Federer is trying to become the first man since Bill Tilden in the 1920s to win the American Grand Slam tournament 6 years in a row.

Next up for Federer: a match against 2001 U.S. Open champion Lleyton Hewitt.

In another late match, No. 2 Serena Williams was pretty close to perfect in beating 51st-ranked Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-1, 6-1 in less than an hour.

Also yesterday, Venus Williams moved on, Rafael Nadal came back and Marat Safin said goodbye.

Her left knee heavily wrapped, the third-seeded Williams defeated Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 6-4, 6-2, in a less taxing match than she had 2 nights earlier when she fell behind a set before rallying against Vera Dushevina, Philadelphia Daily News reports.