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Hewitt Loses, Federer Wins at Indian Wells

Posted on: Monday, 15 March 2004, 06:00 CST

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. - Two-time defending champion Lleyton Hewitt got beat at his own game by Juan Ignacio Chela. Chasing everything down, keeping the ball in play and waiting patiently for his opponent to make a mistake, Chela defeated Hewitt 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 Monday in the Pacific Life Open.

"Even when I felt like I had him on a stretch a couple of times, he came up with good defensive shots," said Hewitt, who had a 13-match win streak stopped.

"I didn't feel like I played too badly, but I felt like he didn't miss a lot of shots."

Hewitt did, on the other hand, making 42 unforced errors to Chela's 15.

Hewitt's fiancee, Kim Clijsters, also won't repeat as champion at Indian Wells, where they received matching his and hers trophies a year ago.

Clijsters withdrew on Saturday after she hurt her left wrist a night earlier during a two-set win over Angelika Roesch.

With afternoon temperatures topping 100 degrees on Monday, top-ranked Roger Federer made quick work of Fernando Gonzalez in their third-round match, taking just an hour and two minutes for a 6-3, 6-2 win.

Tommy Haas continued his comeback from 2002 shoulder surgery with a 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-3 victory over Albert Costa. Haas missed all of last year so the shoulder could heal.

Sesil Karatancheva, the brash 14-year-old from Bulgaria, was unable to back up her boast that she would beat Maria Sharapova.

Karatancheva won the first set, but her Russian opponent, just 16, came back to take a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory. Their match on a side court drew several thousand fans, as many or more than the Hewitt-Chela match going on at the same time in the main stadium.

"Hey, she played unbelievable. I have to give her credit," Karatancheva said. "I did everything I could. I could have played better, but you know what, that's my first big tournament.

"I'm 14. I probably have 30 years more in front of me. We'll play again someday and I hope I'll do better then."

Sharapova was gracious in victory.

"She's definitely a great young player. She has a great future ahead of her, no doubt about it," Sharapova said.

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