Hewitt into Stockholm Open quarter-finals

STOCKHOLM (AFP) –

Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt returns the ball to Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen during their match in the Stockholm Open at Kungliga Tennishallen in Stockholm, Sweden. Hewitt reached his first quarter-final since July when he defeated eighth-seeded Finn Jarkko Nieminen 7-6 (7/2), 2-6, 6-4 at the Stockholm Open on Wednesday.

Australian veteran Lleyton Hewitt reached his first quarter-final since July when he defeated eighth-seeded Finn Jarkko Nieminen 7-6 (7/2), 2-6, 6-4 at the Stockholm Open on Wednesday.

Former world number one Hewitt dropped serve six times, but capitalised on three of his four break points in the decisive set to improve to a 5-0 record against Nieminen.

The 31-year-old last made the quarter-finals on his way to the Newport championship match in July where he was runner-up to John Isner.

Nieminen was looking to reach the Stockholm quarter-finals for a seventh straight year and eighth time overall. He was a finalist in 2001, 2006 and 2011.