Lleyton Hewitt crushed Swedish teenager Robin Soderling 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 to help defending champions Australia level their Davis Cup tie after Thomas Enqvist had earlier upset Mark Philippoussis in Adelaide on Friday.
Hewitt equalled Adrian Quist's long-standing Australian record for Davis Cup singles wins when he claimed his 24th career victory to leave the first round World Group encounter delicately poised after the opening day's singles.
"It (Quist's record) was in the back of my mind but the main priority was to try and get us back to 1-1," Hewitt said.
"I just had to come out and play my best tennis. The first set was important but I got off to a good start and it was nice to have the win in straight sets."
Hewitt, a former world number one and two-time Grand Slam winner, overcame a strong start from Soderling before eventually wearing down the 19-year-old on a scorching hot day at Adelaide's Memorial Drive courts.
He broke the Swede for the first time in the ninth game of the first set then twice more in the second and third sets while facing break point just once on his own serve.
Hewitt's win swung the momentum of the tie back in Australia's favour after Enqvist demolished a strangely out-of-sorts Philippoussis.
Enqvist, once ranked fourth in the world but now languishing at 78 after a terrible run of injuries, disposed of the ninth-ranked Philippoussis 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in less than an hour and a half with a flawless display of tennis.
NEVER TROUBLED
The former Australian Open finalist broke Philippoussis' serve once in each of the first two sets then twice in the third and was never troubled on his own serve.
Enqvist did not face a break point in the entire match and incredibly did not lose a single point on serve in the second set.
"These are the kind of days you live for," a jubilant Enqvist said.
"Mark was not playing his best but I felt like I was hitting the ball really well."
Philippoussis, who was heavily criticised after his lacklustre loss to Morocco's Hicham Arazi at the Australian Open, seemed strangely subdued.
The hero of Australia's victory over Spain in last year's Davis Cup final, Philippoussis managed only five aces for the match, two less than Enqvist, while committing four double faults.
Todd Woodbridge and Wayne Arthurs will pair up against Jonas Bjorkman and Joachim Johnansson in the doubles on Saturday with the concluding reverse singles on Sunday.
