Marseille, France (SportsNetwork.com) – Italian Simone Bolelli stunned top-
seeded Milos Raonic during Thursday’s second-round action, while hot Swiss
Stan Wawrinka avoided an upset and defending champion Ernests Gulbis was sent
packing at the Open 13 tennis event.
Bolelli recorded the biggest win of his career by outlasting the world No. 6
Canadian star Raonic in 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3) fashion on the indoor surface at
Marseille’s Palais des Sports.
“There were many close games, but I couldn’t make the most of my chances,”
said the big-serving Raonic, who launched 21 aces in a losing effort. “I
served better as the match went on, but he made it through when it mattered
the most.”
The 29-year-old Bolelli broke the longest losing streak against Top-10
opponents and is now 1-35 lifetime against such competition.
Meanwhile, fresh off his title in Rotterdam the second-seeded Wawrinka
continued his winning ways by handling Frenchman Benoit Paire 6-2, 6-3.
The former Australian Open titlist Wawrinka’s quarterfinal opponent on Friday
will be Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky.
Capable Frenchman Jeremy Chardy dismissed the third-seeded Gulbis 6-3, 6-4 in
Thursday’s nightcap. The Latvian Gulbis bested then reigning champion Jo-
Wilfried Tsonga of France in last year’s Open 13 finale.
Fifth-seeded former Open 13 champion Gilles Simon avoided an upset by holding
off talented 18-year-old Croatian wild card Borna Coric 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Simon,
who captured the title here back in 2007, will battle his fellow Frenchman
Chardy on Friday.
Another second-round result saw promising Austrian Dominic Thiem take out
sixth-seeded Belgian David Goffin 5-1, retired, as Goffin succumbed to a rib
injury on Day 4.
Friday’s other quarters will pit fourth-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut
against Thiem and seventh-seeded French favorite Gael Monfils versus Bolelli.
The 2015 Marseille champ will collect $117,000.
