Cash holds court with old nemesis Wilander

Lleyton Hewitt, who yesterday was confirmed as the men's world champion by the International Tennis Federation, has in the past been compared to Andre Agassi, Michael Chang and Jimmy Connors. According to Pat Cash, however, Hewitt is a new version of Mats Wilander, "but Mats has a better serve."

Cash is something of an authority on Swedish players. In Melbourne in 1986 the rugged Australian serve-and-volleyer almost single-handedly overcame Sweden in the Davis Cup final. But he was frustrated by Swedes in consecutive Australian Open finals: by Stefan Edberg in 1987, in the last Grand Slam 'down under' played on grass at Kooyong, and by Wilander in 1988.

That second Cash-Wilander final, played on Rebound Ace rubberised concrete in Flinders Park (now Melbourne Park) on the eve of Australia's bicentennial, was a talking point at the Royal Albert Hall yesterday after Cash defeated Wilander, 7-6, 7-6, in the opening round robin match at the Honda Challenge, the latest stop on the Delta Tour of Champions.

Everyone who was anyone in Australia in 1988, from Bob Hawke, the prime minister, to the actress who played Daphne in Neighbours, seemed to be in the crowd at the National Tennis Centre in Melbourne as Wilander recovered from two sets to one down to triumph, 8-6 in the fifth set.

For Cash, the 1987 Wimbledon champion, it was one of the most disappointing days of his career. For Wilander, it was the start of a magnificent year in which he won three of the four Grand Slam titles and became the world No 1. Only the Wimbledon title eluded the Swede, who said he did not have Bjorn Borg's serve or speed to win from the baseline on the lawns at the world's most prestigious tournament.

Since then, both Agassi and Hewitt have counter-punched their way to Wimbledon glory, although Hewitt, like his compatriot Cash, has been unable to win his home Grand Slam. The 21-year-old has time on his side and will start as favourite at next month's tournament.

Cash and Wilander, meanwhile, continue to debate the relative merits of attacking and defensive styles and whether courts should be made slower or faster. Yesterday, when Cash showed glimpses of his exhilarating serve-volleying and Wilander hit some breathtaking passing shots, it was easy to predict who favoured what.

"Serve and volley is one of the attractions here at the Honda Challenge," Cash said. "You see more of it here than in three rounds of an ATP Masters Series tournament. But we're a dying breed. I believe that to be an all-time great player, you have got to be able to serve and volley. Agassi might be the greatest player of all-time from the baseline, but the guy can't volley."

Wilander was glad to find that the court at the Albert Hall is slightly slower this year. "Men's tennis should be played on as slow a surface as possible," he said. "Slow surfaces build character. If a guy hits 15 shots in a rally, the fans appreciate the effort that goes into winning the point." When someone pointed out that he had moved in to hit more volleys than usual yesterday, he smiled and said: "I was just stumbling forward."

Britain's Jeremy Bates lost his opening round robin match against Petr Korda, the 1998 Australian Open champion, 6-4, 6-2.