Finals Contender Simon Reaches QFs

© AFP/Getty ImagesGilles Simon won the 2009 Bangkok title.

Gilles Simon, who is currently No. 12 in the South African Airways 2011 ATP Year-To-Date Ranking, reached the quarter-finals at the PTT Thailand Open Wednesday with a 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-4 win over Yen-Hsun Lu.

The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals contender, the third seed this week at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament, improved to 4-0 lifetime over Lu in a marathon encounter over two hours and 55 minutes.

"To play for three hours at this intensity was really hard," said Simon. "He played really well. He wasn't missing, serving hard and returning well. I really had the impression that I had to play to my maximum on every point for a chance to win. I am lucky to have won this match. I am very happy."

Simon, the 2009 titlist (d. Troicki), improved to a 37-21 match record on the season, highlighted by ATP World Tour trophies at the Medibank International Sydney (d. Troicki) and the bet-at-home Open - German Tennis Championships 2011 in Sydney (d. Almagro).

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Seventh-seeded Dutchman Robin Haase converted all three of his break points against Jarkko Nieminen, but was still edged out by the 2010 Bangkok finalist 7-6(5), 7-6(4) after one hour and 36 minutes. The 30-year-old Finn is through to the quarter-finals at this ATP World Tour 250 tournament for the fifth time in six visits.

German Matthias Bachinger won back-to-back ATP World Tour matches for the first time in his career as he defeated Thai wild card Danai Udomchoke 7-6(5), 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of this ATP World Tour 250 indoor hard-court tennis tournament.

Fresh from reaching his third ATP World Tour final of the year in Bucharest at the weekend (l. to Mayer), eighth-seeded Spaniard Pablo Andujar was unable to make the fast turnaround required to beat German Tobias Kamke.

World No. 103 Kamke, the 2010 ATP World Tour Newcomer of the Year, needed just 56 minutes to blast aside the No. 44-ranked Andujar 6-0, 6-1, breaking serve five times from seven opportunities and winning 76 per cent of points behind his first serve.

Kamke goes onto face Japanese qualifier Go Soeda, who rounded out the first-round action with a comeback 3-6, 7-6(0), 7-6(4) victory over Karol Beck of Slovakia.