Over 3000 spectators saw Cash serve well and approach the net in classic serve volley style.

The final result was: 6:1, 3:6, 6:1

Cash, who is more than a decade Philippoussis’ senior, was in imperious form in his first match of the ATP Champions Tour season. The Australian served with brilliant accuracy and attacked the net regularly, a tactic that won him the first set in a close-fought tie break.

Philippoussis, who Cash coached to the US Open final in 1998, mounted a comeback in the second set, but the 34-year-old was unable to maintain the momentum in the deciding set Champions’ Tie-Break. Cash, who turned 45 last May, used his penetrating serve to carry him to one of his most memorable victories on the ATP Champions Tour in recent years.

Cash, who now sits atop Group B with two round robin matches left to play, was modest in victory.

“I hit the ball well and I’ve been training pretty hard,” he said. “I think Mark was probably a bit rusty as it was his first match of the year. When it comes down to a Champions’ Tie Break it’s just a couple of points here and there and that’s the way it was. I won the important ones.”

Cash attributed a lot of his success in Friday’s match to his ability to return Philippoussis’ notoriously huge serve. To read about the the challenge of receiving serve against the man known as ‘Scud’

Pat

The 1987 Wimbledon champion insisted it was not too late for Hewitt to land a third major, but he must find a way to finish points earlier.

Hewitt faces world No. 192 Brazilian Ricardo Hocevar before potential clashes against Marcos Baghdatis and Roger Federer in the third and fourth rounds.

“Lleyton’s got to do something with his game to make life a little easier,” Cash said. “At his best, he can match the top guys and beat them. But it knocks the stuffing out of him.

“The amount of kilometres that Lleyton has done over the years, it’s just phenomenal, at breakneck speed as well. I don’t know how his legs are continuing to stay up there.

“He’s showing sign of injuries now and so he needs to make life easier for himself. And he has the ability to do it, to come forward to start attacking.

“He’s got fantastic volleys. I’d put him in the top four or five volleyers in the world, yet we never see it. Maybe it’s a matter of confidence.

“The good thing is that he’s starting to use some of these things, not just guts and determination.”

Hewitt, 28, heads a host of Australian contenders today, including Sam Stosur, Alicia Molik, Casey Dellacqua, Jarmila Groth and Carsten Ball. Cash said Hewitt could make a run into the second week if he was assertive.

“I’d like to see him run around and thump some forehands,” Cash said.

“We’re in a freakish era now where the guys are unbelievable at the back at the court. You need to finish off points at the first opportunity.”

AUSSIES IN ACTION TODAY:

MEN

22-LLEYTON HEWITT v Ricardo Hocevar (Bra)

CARSTEN BALL v 9-Fernando Verdasco (Spa)

MARINKO MATOSEVIC v Marco Chiudinelli (Swi)

WOMEN

13-SAM STOSUR v Xinyun Han (Chn)

JARMILA GROTH v Sofia Arvidsson (Swe)

ALICIA MOLIK v Julie Coin (Fra)

CASEY DELLACQUA v Anastasiya Yakimova (Blr)

Trailing by a set, 1-3 and 15-40, the Croatian smashed his racquet to the ground and ‘borrowed’ Cash’s chequered headband, before going on to win 3-6, 6-3, 10-4.

“I had been behaving well up until now,” he said. “This is the first racquet I’ve broken since I started playing on the ATP Champions Tour. I was just so frustrated I couldn’t get a serve in the court. As soon as I put on Cashy’s headband I started playing good though, it really worked. I think he needs to give me a few more of those!”

Cash was disappointed to lose the final – his first on the ATP Champions Tour for five years, but pleased with the way he had played.

“I served well and I volleyed well,” said Cash. “It’s just Goran started playing great tennis at the end of the second set and he did deserve to win in the end. I’m delighted to finish runner-up though and I’ve had a great week here in Belgium so I hope to be back next year.”

Ivanisevic is intent on overhauling Thomas Enqvist, having closed the gap on the Swede in the South African Airways Rankings to just 120 points. Cash moves up to 5th in the ATP rankings

Check it out here

Pat said “ It is always great to play here and to win is a real bonus and the crowd were great”

Also check out these clips ahead of airing:

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/sports/2010/05/12/oc.mansour.bahrami.tricks.cnn

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/sports/2010/05/12/oc.nadal.comeback.cnn