LONDON -- Lleyton Hewitt is playing the best tennis of his young life on grass but the Australian still ranks himself just "an outside chance" to win Wimbledon.

	Australia's Lleyton Hewitt salutes the crowd after winning his first round match against Sweden's Magnus Gustafsson 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.

On Tuesday, the fifth seed annihilated Swede Magnus Gustafsson 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 in the first round to maintain his undefeated record on grass this year.

Hewitt, set to meet compatriot Pat Rafter in the semifinal, now boasts a 13-0 record.

"I am not afraid to step out there against anyone on grass now," said Hewitt, but he refused to hype his chances at the biggest championships of them all.

"I am on a streak of one win. This is a Grand Slam," said Hewitt, a 20-year-old from Adelaide.

Hewitt beat Sampras and Tim Henman on the same day at Queen's Club to win that title. But for Hewitt, seven-time champion Pete Sampras is still the undisputed master of Wimbledon.

"He owns the center court out there. I give myself an outside chance."

"I haven't been past the third round here so I am not considering myself in the first few of the favorites," said Hewitt, who next plays American Taylor Dent.

"I put Sampras probably as the favorite, then Rafter, Agassi and Henman in the next bunch," he said.

At Wimbledon last year, Hewitt was hustled out in the first round by American Jan-Michael Gambill.

This time around, on the sun-drenched No. 1 Court, Hewitt moved at lightning speed to outclass Gustafsson, 34, who is playing in his last Wimbledon.

Gustafsson had to fight through a marathon game to hold his service just the once in the first set.

In the second set, Gustafsson managed only four points in the first four games and could never match Hewitt's speed.

Hewitt dropped only one point on his own serve in the third set and broke Gustafsson in the seventh game to snatch a bloodless victory in one hour 46 minutes.

His long hair is now shaved but Hewitt still sports a back-to-front baseball cap.

What does the "Samson of the Circuit" feel without his locks?

"I feel quicker," he said, smiling from ear to ear.