ROTTERDAM — Gilles Simon needed just 67 minutes to move into the ATP Rotterdam World Tennis quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-3 defeat of fellow Frenchman Jeremy Chardy Thursday. The compatriot's clash at the Ahoy Stadium improved Simon's record over Chardy to a perfect 3-0 after wins at Roland Garros in 2011 and the Madrid Masters in 2013.
Top-seeded Andy Murray advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Vasek Pospisil.
The Australian Open runner-up, who faces Simon in the next round, fought back from a break of serve in the second set and won the last four games.
Defending champion Tomas Berdych also progressed, hitting 10 aces in a 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Andreas Seppi. The third-seeded Czech will take on Gael Monfils for a spot in the semifinals.
Simon, holder of 11 career titles, finished his modest effort with nine winners and broke Chardy twice in the second set. The winner never faced a break point.
Simon finished off with a backhand pass to set up a match point, then fired a duplicate shot down the line a point later to claim his fifth win of the season.
The two-time semifinalist is competing in Rotterdam for the seventh time and won his 10th match at the event.
Fourth seed Stan Wawrinka had to overcome a second-set blip in which which his game went completely off the boil before finally recovering to defeat Dutchman Jesse Huta Galung 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 Wednesday.
Even then Wawrinka needed six match points to seal victory over a player ranked a lowly 248th in the world in just over an hour-and-a-half.
“It's never easy to start, but getting through is the most important,” said Wawrinka. “Match conditions are always different than practice. But I've been training well and I'm pleased to have won.”
Wawrinka, ranked ninth in the world, will next play Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
Wawrinka won the first set in 34 minutes but struggled in the second set as he seemed to lose concentration. But in the third set, the 2014 Australian Open winner went up a break for 3-1 and slowly regained command.
The last game of the evening saw Gilles Muller beat fifth seed and 2013 semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 7-6 (10/8) with each man firing 11 aces. Muller, who beat John Isner at the Australian Open before losing in the fourth round to Djokovic, eased to victory against the talented but inconsistent Bulgarian in 85 minutes.
Rodina trumps Nara
Russia's Evgeniya Rodina comfortably dispatched Japan's Kurumi Nara in another surprise upset at Pattaya Thursday to make it through to the third round of the WTA tournament.
Right-handed Rodina, ranked 109 in the world, saw off fourth seed Nara 6-2, 6-4 in a little over an hour at the popular Thai seaside resort. Rodina will play Ajla Tomljanovic of Croatia, who beat sixth-seeded Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia 7-6 (3) 6-3.
A day earlier, China's top ranked player Peng Shuai tumbled out of the tournament to Japan's unfancied Misaki Doi in a three set loss. China's Lin Zhu was forced to pull out of her second round match against compatriot Ying-Ying Duan. At the time Lin had just lost the first set 6-1.
Russia's Daniela Hantuchova also saw off China's Saisai Zheng 7-6, 6-2.
The Russians have so far made a strong showing at Pattaya. Rodina and Hantuchova will join fellow Russian and two-time Grand Slam finalist Vera Zvonareva in the third round. — Agencies
