Nieminen posts come-from-behind upset

MONTPELLIER, France, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Jarkko Nieminen fought off three match points in a come-from-behind victory Thursday at the Sud de France Open tennis tournament.

Nieminen claimed a 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 win over No. 7-seeded Richard Gasquet that put him in the tournament quarterfinals.

Gasquet was up 6-3 in the second-set tie-breaker before the Nieminen comeback. Nieminen continued the charge in the third set, winning 61 percent of the points, losing only three points on serve and getting two breaks.

Gilles Simon also advanced in three sets with an upset win, taking out eighth-seeded David Nalbandian 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5. Simon ended up taking the very even match -- Simon won 102 points to 100 for Nalbandian -- by finishing off his fourth break of the day.

Gasquet and Nalbandian are the only seeds not to make the Sud de France Open quarterfinals.

Also on Thursday's schedule, No. 3-seeded Gael Monfils cashed in all three of his break-point changes in beating Steve Darcis 6-4, 6-4; while fourth-seeded Ivan Ljubicic topped Taylor Dent 7-5, 6-4; and Albert Montanes, the No. 6 seeded, won a 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) decision over Michael Llodra.

Friday's quarterfinal schedule has No. 1-seeded Nikolay Davydenko facing Montanes while Ljubicic meets Nieminen. Second-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga draws Simon in the quarters with Monfils going against John Isner.