Stockholm, Sweden, 18 October 2012 | AAP/tennis.com.au

Lleyton Hewitt has won his second round match at the ATP Stockholm Open, beating Jarkko Nieminen of Finland.

The 31-year-old Australian wildcard entry, who is back at the Swedish tournament for the first time since 2002, beat eighth-seeded Nieminen 7-6(2) 2-6 6-4 on Wednesday.

A day earlier, the Australian veteran ranked No.102 showed his experience on the big points to beat No.38 South Africa’s Kevin Anderson 6-4 4-6 6-4.

His second upset win in a row – and second gruelling three-setter – sets up a quarterfinal match with No.3 seed Nicolas Almagro, who defeated Romanian qualifier Marius Copil in straight sets.

Hewitt’s strong serving – 9 aces and 73 per cent of first serve points won – helped secure the win in two hours and 18 minutes, sending him into just his second quarterfinal in an injury-plagued 2012 season.

His performance in Stockholm is expected to help the Australian return to the top 100, boosting his chances of direct qualification for January’s Australian Open.