World number three Lleyton Hewitt [Images] was upset 7-6, 6-3 by American Taylor Dent in the Australian hardcourt championship quarter-finals on Friday.

The main local hope for the Australian Open starting in Melbourne on January 17, the 23-year-old Hewitt now heads to Sydney for next week's International tournament.

Hewitt, a former Wimbledon and US Open winner, said he was looking ahead to the Grand Slam tournament rather than pondering his loss to Dent in Adelaide.

"When you've been number one in the world for a couple of years and won a couple of Slams and whatever else that's been, you look at the big picture and what motivates you," Hewitt said.

"And that's the Grand Slams and Melbourne's as big for me as any of the four," he added.

"Even if I don't win Sydney next week it's no big deal."

Fifth-seeded Dent, the son of former Australia Davis Cup player Phil, will play Argentina's fourth seed Juan Ignacio Chela in Saturday's semi-finals.

Chela beat Austrian eighth seed Juergen Melzer 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 in the quarter-finals.

Belgian Olivier Rochus upset German third seed Nicolas Kiefer 6-7, 7-6, 7-5 and meets Sweden's second seed Joachim Johansson in the semis.

Johansson dropped a set before knocking out his Davis Cup team mate Thomas Enqvist 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.

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