ROTTERDAM, Netherlands(AP) Gael Monfils of France defeated defending champion Michael Llodra 6-4, 6-4 Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the ABN Amro tournament.
He will face fellow Frenchman Julien Benneteau. In another all-French match, Marc Gicquel defeated Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-3.
It's interesting that French players have done so well in Rotterdam in recent years,'' Monfils said.We like it here.''
Mario Ancic of Croatia upset fourth-seeded Gilles Simon 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. He had nine aces to Simon's six, and avenged his third-round loss to the Frenchman in the Australian Open. Ancic will play Mikhail Youzhny in the next round.
You have to fight for every point against Simon,'' Ancic said.Sometimes you have to be patient.''
Later Thursday, top-ranked Rafael Nadal will play 17-year-old Grigor Dimitrov, the reigning junior U.S. Open and Wimbledon champion. Second-seeded Andy Murray will play Andreas Seppi.