Dustin Brown knocks off top-seeded Marin Cilic in France

Dustin Brown of Germany upset top-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-4, 6-4 in second-round action Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Open Sud de France in Montpelier.

Brown, ranked 84th in the world, broke serve against Cilic once in each set and did not face a break point en route to his upset victory. He wrapped up his victory with an ace.

The German will face either fifth-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain or France's Benoit Paire in the quarterfinals.

The seventh-ranked Cilic also was ousted in the second round at the Australian Open.

Qualifier Kenny De Schepper of France upset sixth-seeded Mischa Zverev of Germany 6-4, 6-3 in the opening round. De Schepper, ranked 162nd in the world, had not won on the main circuit since his round-one victory last year in Montpelier.

Other first-round action saw fifth-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain top France's Julien Benneteau 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-0), and Tunisia's Malek Jaziri rallied past France's Tristan Lamasine 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3).

Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu bested countryman Vincent Millot 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 while France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert breezed past countryman Calvin Hemery 6-3, 7-5 to conclude first-round play.