Llodra has 2nd-round upset in Montpellier

• Tweet

MONTPELLIER, France, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Michael Llodra had an upset win Thursday that made him one of five French players to advance to the quarterfinals of the Open Sud de France tennis tournament.

Llodra defeated No. 2-seeded Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) without facing a break point. Llodra had 13 aces in winning more than three-quarters of the points on serve.

He only managed to convert one of eight break-point chances but that was worth the first set.

Other French players heading to Friday's quarterfinals are third-seeded Richard Gasquet, No. 4-seeded Gilles Simon, sixth-seeded Julien Benneteau and No. 8 Benoit Paire.

Gasquet defeated countryman Gael Monfils 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 by posting three of his four breaks in the third set. Simon, who had 12 aces, handled Arnau Brugues-Davi 7-6 (7-5), 6-2. Benneteau was a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Victor Hanescu and Paire earned his quarterfinal slot with a win Wednesday.

Other second-round results saw Sergiy Stakhovsky get by Tatsuma Ito 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) and Jan Hajek advance when, after Hajek went up 6-0, 4-2, seventh-seeded Viktor Troicki retired.

There will be at least two French players in the semifinals because Gasquet plays Benneteau and Paire draws Simon in the quarterfinals. Llodra meets Hajek and Stakhovsky goes against Jarkko Nieminen in the other matches Friday.