Hewitt is getting back to form

Hewitt lost just three points on his first serve and was not broken at any stage during the match.

The Australian will meet Marat Safin, aiming to reach his first final in more than two years, in the semi-finals.

The Russian saved all three break points he faced to overcome another Spaniard, Fernando Verdasco, 6-1 6-4.

Since meeting in the 2005 Australian Open final - where Safin emerged victorious - both Hewitt and Safin have had their struggles.

Safin has not added to his 15 career titles, while Hewitt's only victories were last year at Queen's and at Sydney in 2005.

Elsewhere, unseeded Russian Evgeny Korolev made the most of his reprieve to become the first man to book his place in the last four.

A mix-up over the rules led to the 19-year-old being told that he had not qualified for the quarter-finals only for the ATP to make a dramatic U-turn.

Korolev, who reached the last eight at the expense of top seed James Blake, beat American Sam Querrey 6-4 6-4.

Korolev will next play fourth seed Jurgen Melzer, the Austrian overcoming Czech Jan Hernych 6-3 3-6 6-3.