METZ, France — Second-seeded Gael Monfils of France and third-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany advanced to the quarterfinals of the Moselle Open on Thursday.
Monfils overcame a slow start before beating Michal Przysiezny of Poland 7-5, 6-1, and faces seventh-seeded Jerzy Janowicz of Poland after he comfortably beat veteran Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 6-4, 6-4. The big-serving Janowicz saved all three break-points he faced and hit nine aces.
Przysiezny, ranked 136th, broke Monfils’ opening service game and held for 2-0, but Monfils broke straight back.
Monfils, who had two match points before losing to 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in the U.S. Open quarterfinals, is looking for his second title of the season after his victory on hard courts in Montpellier in February.
Kohlschreiber had 12 aces in a 6-3, 7-5 win against Italy’s Paolo Lorenzi and next plays Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, who did not face a single break-point in a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 win against No. 5 Jeremy Chardy of France.
No. 6 Joao Sousa of Portugal and No. 8 David Goffin of Belgium also reached the last eight.
Sousa struggled, saving 14 of 16 break-point chances, as he laboured to a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (3) win against Dutchman Igor Sijsling. He next plays Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu.
Goffin eased past Germany’s Tobias Kamke 6-1, 6-3 to set up a quarterfinal against top seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.