Lleyton Hewitt rolled back the years today with a magical performance to beat No5 seed Juan Martin Del Potro 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 on Centre Court.

The 28-year-old, who won the 2002 Wimbledon title, put in a near faultless display to reach the third round in two hours and 32 minutes.

Del Potro, who has reached two quarter-finals and one semi-final in his last three grand slam appearances, had never been beyond the second round at SW19 and it showed as Hewitt outmanoeuvred his opponent from the back of the court.

The result further opens up Andy Murray's potential progress, as it leaves Andy Roddick, Gilles Simon and Fernando Gonzalez as the only other players ranked in the world's top 10 in the Scot's half of the draw.

Del Potro, 20, needed strapping on his right knee at the end of the first set but it did not appear to inhibit his power as he consistently delivered serves above 130mph.

Hewitt's first serve, while not possessing the power of his opponent, was employed with devastating accuracy as he served 14 aces to 6ft 6in Del Potro's 10.

But the key to the match was the return of serve, as Hewitt took his chances to break four times, while Del Potro only converted one of the eight opportunities that he created.

As Del Potro cranked up the pressure to lead 4-3 in the third set, Hewitt produced a huge forehand at 30-30 that evoked a trademark "Come on!" roar from the Australian as he moved to within one game of the match.

Hewitt then served for the match at 5-4 only for Del Potro to break back. However, it was not to be the turning point as Hewitt struck immediately in the 11th game before closing out a remarkable victory.