Australian Lleyton Hewitt has become the youngest ever world number one after he beat Pat Rafter in their final round robin match at the Masters Cup in Sydney. The US Open champion, aged 20 years and eight months, received 20 points for that victory, which moves him to 783 for the season, 12 ahead of current number one Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten who has already been knocked out of the tournament after three successive defeats in the season-ending event.
Hewitt, who defeated Sebastien Grosjean and Andre Agassi in his previous two matches, beat his fellow Australian 7-5 6-2 today. He will now take on Juan Carlos Ferrero in the semi-finals after the Spaniard earlier defeated Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) to secure the last remaining semi-final spot. Yevgeny Kafelnikov will play Sebastien Grosjean in the other semi-final.
Jimmy Connors had been the youngest player to achieve the year-end number one ranking. In 1974, a year after the rankings began, he finished top of the pile at the age of 22 years and three months.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
