SLIGHTLY more than a fortnight ago, we watched as Svetlana Kuznetsova dismantled the world No. 1, reducing her to a weeping pile of tears.

That was Dinara Safina, mind you. A woman supposedly as strong as her swanky brother, Marat.

Anyway, everyone seems to have forgotten about the Russian. I mean, we've heard everything we want to hear about the Williams' sisters. And Jelena Jankovic. Well, well, well. Interviews, interviews. And don't let me start on Maria Sharapova. Defeated but still making headlines and heads turn.

I say, what about Kuznetsova? She seeded No. 5. But she's the most invisible of the women in the Top 10.

Even television seems to have neglected her. Yesterday, the French Open champion was playing on Court Three, but what we had to watch was Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland playing China's Shuai Peng on Court 14, which, to my mind is like playing in the boondocks.

I mean where's the justification?

It's not that Kuznetsova isn't a colourful player. We remember that bit of drama when she crumbled into the dirt at Roland Garros, her ankle grotesquely twisted. Ouch. We thought that was it. But she carried on. Yes, champions play in pain.

Anyway, the sound of a well-struck shot, when the ball makes contact with the sweet-spot, hits you directly. There is no language barrier. Yesterday, the Russian asked her racket to talk - and it sang.

In less than an hour, the French Open champion - I know I'm repeating it, but maybe some have forgotten - did a demolition job on Frenchwoman Pauline Parmentier, beating her 6-1, 6-3 in under an hour.

That was some kind of show.

I reckon, the thing about Kuznetsova is that she is not poster-girl material and companies are not lining up to use her image to sell their products. But the thing going for the Russian is her brass-knuckled competitiveness. She loves a skirmish. And she gives as good as she gets.

Walloping

Yesterday, she gave. She hit 22 winners. Now, that was a walloping.

Credit to her opponent who hit nine. But alas, out there on court, the Frenchwoman was a chaser of lost causes.

Anyway, sport usually makes heroes of those who are dealt a bum hand, but rise through adversity to become winners. Yes, for Kuznetsova, it is dark, but morning comes. And given the form she is in right now, I reckon she will get her due recognition.

He may not be the most-liked man in Australia - why? I do not know - but I like this guy Lleyton Hewitt.

Maybe it's because he played here in Singapore when he was a brash teenager, losing eventually in the semi-finals to the then World No. 1 Marcelo Rios.

Hewitt, 28, looked like he was going to greatness when he won the 2002 Wimbledon. But it was not to be. The Aussie married an attractive TV newsreader, bought a Ferrari and that was that. No more Grand Slams.

But over the years, the Australians took him to heart - probably because they had no one else to talk about during their backyard barbecues. Indeed, at Wimbledon this year he is the only male from Australia in the main draw of the men's singles.

So I kept my fingers crossed for him. But he was up against the No. 5 seed, so I didn't get my hopes up. Hewitt proved me wrong. He simply took Juan Martin Del Potro apart.

We should have seen it coming. After all, Hewitt dropped just six games in the first round. And now he's into the third round, having disposed of the Argentine 6-3, 7-5, 7-5.

He yelled: 'Come on,' when he got the winner.

Now we're right there, yelling with him. Come on, Lleyton.

MEN

SECOND ROUND