Friday, August 4 2006 15:48 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: Australian third seed Lleyton Hewitt reached the quarter-finals of the US$600,000 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.

Clement, 28, rallied from 40-0 down in Hrbaty's next service game, winning the final five points in a row for the break and holding for a long-sought triumph.

Hrbaty won their first meeting in 1997 at Marbella and at St. Petersburg in 1999 and Monte Carlo in 2000. All four meetings have come in the rounds of 16.