WASHINGTON, Aug 5: Arnaud Clement reached the Legg Mason Classic semi-finals by stunning third seed Lleyton Hewitt 7-6, 6-4 on Friday, 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.

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.

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.

Friday’s results:

Quarter-finals: 7-Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) beat 14-Tim Henman (Britain) 6-3, 6-2; Marat Safin (Russia) beat Wesley Moodie (South Africa) 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (11-9); 8-Andy Murray (Britain) beat 16-Mardy Fish (US) 6-2, 6-4; 11-Arnaud Clement (France) beat 3-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) 7-6 (7-1), 6-4.

CLIJSTERS OUSTS HINGIS