WIMBLEDON, England - When it comes to Grand Slam tournaments, Lleyton Hewitt is the player to beat, mate.

The feisty Australian has been eliminated in his past five major events by the eventual champion. That should give journeyman Justin Gimelstob cause for hope because he'll face Hewitt in the third round at Wimbledon.

"He brings a lot of things to the table," Gimelstob said. "I have to be obviously firing on all cylinders and really ready to go to work."

Hewitt, the 2002 champion, advanced Wednesday by beating Jan Hernych 6-2, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. He's trying to find a groove on grass after missing the entire clay-court season because of injuries.

"I can't complain right at the moment," said Hewitt, seeded third. "The body feels good."

That's a switch for Hewitt, who required surgery in March to remove a cyst from his right foot. His return to the tour was then delayed when he fell down stairs at his home in Sydney.

The tumble cracked two ribs in his back.

"I was wearing socks," he said sheepishly. "Had my shoes at the bottom of the stairs. It was pretty painful at the time."

Rusty and not yet 100 percent, Hewitt is perhaps a long shot in his half of the draw, which includes two-time defending champion Roger Federer and Australian Open winner Marat Safin.

But based on recent history, one of them will need to beat Hewitt to win the title.

He lost to Safin in the final in Melbourne. Last year, he lost to eventual champion Federer in the fourth round at the Australian Open, in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and in the final at the U.S. Open. He lost to 2004 French Open champion Gaston Gaudio in the quarterfinals there.

Hewitt won Wimbledon three years ago thanks to his outstanding service return, retrieving skills and doggedness. His serve has improved since, and he has 34 aces in two rounds, including 15 against Hernych.

Hewitt lost the third set when he went 0-for-4 on breakpoint chances. But he finished with 46 winners and won 19 of 21 points at the net.

"I got off to a good start," Hewitt said. "I had a couple of lapses, but I was able to concentrate when I needed to and play the bigger points well."

Hewitt's compatriot, Mark Philippoussis, hit 21 aces but lost to the No. 5-seeded Safin 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-4. Only one other Australian - unseeded Wayne Arthurs - remained in the men's draw.

That's a sad state of affairs for a nation that won 13 Wimbledon men's titles in 16 years from 1956 to 1971.

"It's really not good enough for our country," Hewitt said. "We've got to try and find a way of producing young kids to come up. This tournament is huge back in Australia. Even people that don't understand tennis, they know what Wimbledon is about."

Hewitt's next opponent, the 28-year-old Gimelstob, defaulted in qualifying because of a sore back and made the draw only when another player withdrew. He upset No. 29 Nicolas Massu 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (0) to reach the third round, matching his best showing in a Grand Slam event.

"Hopefully with this, maybe I'll get back in the top 100," said Gimelstob, ranked 123rd. "It'll be probably my third time coming back from oblivion into the top 100."

Fellow American Taylor Dent also reached the third round to match his best showing at Wimbledon. Dent, seeded 24th, eliminated compatriot Kevin Kim 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Federer extended his grass-court winning streak to 31 matches, including 16 at the All England Club, by beating Ivo Minar 6-4, 6-4, 6-1.

Seeded women went 11-0 Wednesday. Top-ranked Lindsay Davenport beat fellow American Jamea Jackson 6-0, 6-3. Four-time Grand Slam runner-up Kim Clijsters lost just three service points and drubbed Marissa Irvin 6-1, 6-1. Two-time Wimbledon semifinalist Amelie Mauresmo and U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova were among the other winners.