Tennis-Improving Hewitt targets return to top 10

CINCINNATI, Aug 18 (Reuters) A rejuvenated Lleyton Hewitt said on Friday he believes he is well on the way to regaining his place in the world's top 10.

Hewitt was in commanding form as he beat Carlos Moya 6-2 6-4 to reach the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Masters, setting up a clash with top seed Roger Federer.

Win or lose against Federer, the Australian will move up from 20 to around the 16 mark when rankings are released on Monday, giving him a better chance to avoid the big names in the early rounds of the US Open, which begins on Aug 27.

''I think at my best I'm easily in the top 10,'' Hewitt, who last reached the top 10 in June 2006, said, yesterday.

''I feel like I'm capable of beating nearly anyone on a given day. I've done it before in big tournaments. A lot of these guys that are sitting in the top 15 haven't played big tournaments and grand slam semis and finals before.'' Hewitt topped the rankings from November 2001 to June 2003 with only a two-week interruption but over the past few years his ranking has slipped, mostly because of a succession of injuries.

He won the title in Las Vegas in February but was not at 100 percent in the Masters Series events in Indian Wells and Miami the following month.

''I couldn't really play and had to pull out of Miami,'' Hewitt said.

''I spent about a month and a half getting the body right. I was trying to do a lot of strength work and working on areas where it's been playing up a little bit in the past. Since Rome and Hamburg (in May) it's been good.'' With very few ranking points to defend before the end of the year, Hewitt could be back inside the top 10 by the Australian Open in January.

The Australian said he was not too bothered whether he made it into the top 16 for the US Open, however.

''The last couple of majors I ran into (Rafael) Nadal and (Novak) Djokovic in the round of 16,'' he said.

''Sometimes if you're not seeded you can knock out a lower seed early on and get a better draw. At the end of the day you got beat who's put in front of you.'' Federer beat Hewitt in Montreal last week and has now won their past 10 matches.

''Last week, it was probably only his serve that got him out of trouble when I had break points late in the first set,'' he said.

''I probably didn't serve as well as I could have, that was probably the biggest difference.'' REUTERS BJR VV1032