CINCINNATI -- Lleyton Hewitt has used the outside distractions -- fines or whatever -- to fuel his play at the Tennis Masters Series in Cincinnati this week.

	Lleyton Hewitt is locked in right now, and nothing can distract him.

He's showing here why he's the best hard-court player in the world. He and Andre Agassi are the two toughest on hard courts this year. But on Friday night in the quarterfinals, Hewitt seemed to get inside Agassi's head with his ability to retrieve so many balls. He definitely had Agassi flustered.

Hewitt is extremely tough once he gets into the match. He can make some mistakes early on, but once he gets into a rhythm it's almost like he locks it in. He gets tougher and tougher. As to giving you any free points, he doesn't give you anything.

Hewitt really got up for the match with Agassi. He genuinely respects Agassi, so Hewitt's intensity was there right from the start. All great champions look forward to that type of matchup where they can challenge themselves against another great player. I think Hewitt really enjoys that challenge.

There's no doubt Hewitt's the favorite going into the U.S. Open on Aug. 26. He's not unbeatable, but he's certainly gotten over the disappointment of losing in the first round in Toronto.

He's keen. He's not going to let down at all. He's mentally the toughest player out there. A lot of young players -- like Marat Safin, Andy Roddick and Roger Federer -- could learn from Hewitt what it takes to win. Maybe some of those other players can hit the ball harder or do more with it, but he's got his mind locked in.

Patrick McEnroe, a tennis analyst for ESPN, is a former professional player and the Davis Cup captain.