Hewitt's US Open over

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Lleyton Hewitt has suffered the earliest US Open exit of his career, succumbing 6-3 6-4 5-7 4-6 6-1 to Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu on Monday.

Mathieu, who has slipped from No.12 to 109th in the world after a run of injuries, blasted the 29-year-old former world No.1 off the Flushing Meadows court.

Hewitt, US Open champion in 2001 and seeded 32nd, produced one of his trademark comebacks from two sets down. He saved two break points in consecutive service games midway through the third set, winning a Hawk-Eye challenge on one of them that would have allowed Mathieu to serve for the match at 5-3 had Hewitt's referral been unsuccessful.

But after levelling the encounter at two sets all he was unable to counter 72 clean winners from Mathieu as the Frenchman gathered himself during the fifth set to win in three hours and 39 minutes on the Louis Armstrong Stadium court.

A Hewitt double fault gave Mathieu a third break in the decider and sealed the match.

It was only Hewitt's fourth opening-round defeat in 39 Grand Slam tournaments over the past decade - and his first in 11 US Open appearances.

Hewitt's focus will now move to Australia's Davis Cup World Group playoff with Belgium in Queensland next month.

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