WIMBLEDON, England (AP):

RAINER SCHUETTLER reached the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time yesterday, beating Arnaud Clement 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-7 (7), 8-6 in a match that took two days to complete.

Clement missed a match point and Schuettler wasted two before the German player won the quarter-final match that started on Wednesday but was suspended because of darkness at one set apiece.

Best career result

Both men have reached the Australian Open final for their best career result in a Grand Slam tournament, but Clement lost to Andre Agassi in 2001 and Schuettler lost to the same American two years later.

But five hours, 12 minutes of play over two days and a pair of rain delays yesterday were hardly the best preparation for a semi-final meeting with two-time runner-up Rafael Nadal, who advanced on Wednesday by beating 12th-seeded Andy Murray so convincingly that the Spaniard didn't even have to face a break point.