Clement stuns Hewitt to reach semis - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Clement stuns Hewitt to reach semis

05/08/2006 12:07:47 PM Comments (0)

Arnaud Clement reached the Legg Mason Classic semi-finals by stunning third seed Lleyton Hewitt 7-6 6-4, his first victory over the Australian in eight attempts.

Clement will next face unseeded Marat Safin, a 7-6 7-6 winner over South African Wesley Moodie, on Saturday.

British teenager Andy Murray, who crushed American Mardy Fish 6-2 6-4, will meet Russian Dmitry Tursunov in the other semi-final.

Tursunov overwhelmed Tim Henman 6-3 6-2 in the quarter-finals, ending the possibility of an eagerly anticipated all-British match-up between Murray and his boyhood hero.

Clement's triumph over Hewitt was a welcome lift for the Frenchman whose overall record this year is just 13-14.

"It's very special for me, having lost to him the first seven matches," said the 28-year-old Clement whoo is ranked 57th in the world.

"We have similar games but he is always a little bit better than me. We've played a couple of tough matches but he was always a little better at the important moments.

"Today was different."

Clement raced into a 4-1 lead in the first set before Hewitt rallied to take the next four games. The Australian, however, failed to close out the set, losing his serve at 5-4.

"I fought so hard to get back," said the 12th-ranked Hewitt. "If I could have gotten that first set at 6-4 under my belt then I would have had a lot of momentum coming back from 4-1.

"I gave him a little extra wind out there to hang in there."

Clement refused to allow the former world number one into the first-set tiebreak, taking it 7-1.

Clement broke Hewitt in the fifth game of the second set to take a 3-2 lead and serve out to take the match.

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