Friday 3rd October 2008
Mathieu marches on
Paul-Henri Mathieu moved into the quarters of the Open de Moselle on Thursday, defeating qualifier Romain Jouan.
Unseeded Frenchman Marc Gicquel also got the better of his compatriot Nicolas Mahut, earning a 6-3 7-6 (7/4) triumph.
Mahut had beaten second-seeded countryman Gilles Simon in the first round but was unable to build on the win, squandering a 6-5 lead on serve in the second set against Gicquel.
Gicquel will now face another Frenchman in the quarter-finals as 20-year-old Adrian Mannarino advanced with a 6-4 7-5 victory over fellow qualifier Rick De Voest of South Africa.
Eduardo Schwank, who upset third seed Nicolas Almagro in the opening round, also reached the last eight with a 7-6 (8/6) 6-7 (5/7) 6-3 victory over Romania's Victor Hanescu.
The unseeded Argentinian next faces seventh-seeded Czech Radek Stepanek, who rallied for a 6-7 (5/7) 6-1 7-6 (7/0) triumph against Michael Llodra of France.
