Montpellier, France (SportsNetwork.com) – Reigning champion and two-time
overall titlist Gael Monfils and German Phillip Kohlschreiber were a pair of
second-round winners Thursday at the Open Sud de France tennis event.
The top-seeded French crowd favorite Monfils got past fellow countryman Kenny
De Schepper 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).
The world No. 20 Monfils improved to 18-3 at this ATP World Tour 250
tournament, where he also captured the title in 2010. He topped Richard
Gasquet in last year’s all-Frencnh final to capture this event for a second
time in his fourth final.
Up next for the former top-10 star Monfils will be Belgian qualifier Steve
Darcis, who doused veteran Finnish left-hander Jarkko Nieminen 6-2, 7-6 (7-3)
on Day 4.
Meanwhile, the No. 3 seed Kohlschreiber came from behind to beat France’s
Paul-Henri Mathieu 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 at Montpellier Arena. Kohlschreiber
pumped out 19 aces and saved 11-of-13 break points against the 2002 champion
Mathieu.
The 31-year-old Kohlschreiber goes on to face seventh seed Joao Sousa of
Portugal for a place in the semifinals.
One final result on Thursday saw sixth-seeded Uzbek Denis Istomin down Israeli
Dudi Sela 7-6 (7-1), 6-2.
Istomin should have his hands full with the sixth-seeded Gasquet on Friday.
Gasquet captured this tournament in Lyon in 2006 and in here Montpellier two
years ago and was last year’s runner-up to Monfils.
Another quarterfinal will pit second-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon against
fifth-seeded Pole Jerzy Janowicz.
The 2015 Montpellier champion will earn $90,000.
