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WASHINGTON, Aug 4 (AFP): Australian third seed Lleyton Hewitt reached the quarter-finals of the 600,000-dollar ATP Washington Classic here Thursday with a 6-1, 6-4 triumph over Germany's Denis Gremelmayr.
Hewitt, who the 2004 Washington title, advanced to a Friday matchup with 57th-ranked Frenchman Arnaud Clement, who eliminated fifth seed Domink Hrbaty 6-3, 6-2 - his first victory in four career meetings with the Slovakian.
That should serve as a wake-up call for Hewitt, who has never been beaten on the court by Clement. The 25-year-old Aussie is 7- 1 lifetime against Clement, losing only on a 2002 walkover at 's- Hertogenbosch.
Hewitt won his first ATP title in almost 17 months at Queen's in June and has won 14 of his past 17 matches, including a Wimbledon quarter-final run. He was aided Thursday by 39 unforced errors from his 120th-ranked rival.
Clement broke Hrbaty in the eighth game to claim the first set, his first set ever off Hrbaty, then seized a 3-2 lead in the second set when the world number 21 netted a forehand to surrender a break.
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