Chardy Beats Seppi To Reach First Major QF; Awaits Murray

© AFP/Getty ImagesJeremy Chardy is through to his first major quarter-final.

Jeremy Chardy advanced to his first major quarter-final at the Australian Open on Monday, defeating No. 21 seed Andreas Seppi 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. Chardy has eliminated three successive seeded opponents during his run at Melbourne Park.

“After my first win, I feel more relaxed, more confident. Now I'm in a quarter-final,” said Chardy. “It’s just like a dream. I played very well on court. I feel very well. I played solid. It's good for my tennis.”

Squaring off for the first time, Chardy struggled early on, hitting five double faults in the opening set. But after dropping it, the Pau, France native took control of the fourth-round encounter, protecting his serve well and breaking down Seppi with the same aggressive play that saw him take out sixth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro in the previous round. Chardy claimed victory in two hours and 42 minutes, finishing with 47 winners to 42 unforced errors.

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“I know I can beat everybody. So when I feel confident, I believe in me,” Chardy said. “Against del Potro, I played a very good match. So it was good for my head.

“And today it was difficult. I think when I lost the first set 7-5, I forgot it. I said, ‘Okay, now I have to play’, because I was a little bit nervous. After, I played more relax. I played three very good sets.”

The 25-year-old Chardy improved to 8-1 overall and 4-0 in Grand Slam play against Italian opposition. He entered the day as one of four Frenchmen competing in the round of 16, which equals the event's record. Coming into Melbourne, Chardy had reached the second week of a Grand Slam just once on his previous 19 attempts (2008 Roland Garros).

For a place in the semi-finals, Chardy will play World No. 3 Andy Murray, who dismissed Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-1, 6-3. Chardy trails the Scot 1-4 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head, but did win their most recent contest in straight sets at the Western & Southern Open in August 2012.

"I won already against him, so it's good for the confidence when you go on court. Last year I played a perfect match against him," said Chardy. "It will be another very tough match. If I have a chance, I have to try to take it because I think Andy is one of the best players. It's more difficult because it's tough to win three sets in a row against big players. They have a chance to come back all the time, to change the game."

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