Gilles Simon moved a step closer to defending his title at the BCR Open after he defeated fellow Frenchman Florent Serra.The second-seeded Simon will have to beat another former champion if he hopes to make a return trip to the final as number eight Jose Acasuso, the 2004 winner, awaits him after taking out unseeded Ivan Navarro 6-4 6-4 in the quarters.
Simon, 23, has enjoyed past success against the Argentine and will carry a 3-0 record into their semi-final encounter on Saturday.
Another Frenchmen continued his push through the draw on Friday as top seed Richard Gasquet overcame a slow start to roll past Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia 6-7 (8/6) 6-1 6-1.
Gasquet is ranked 12th in the world, but has yet to win a title this year.
This marks just the second time in 2008 that the 22-year-old has advanced past the quarters as he finished as a runner-up at Stuttgart earlier this year.
For Gasquet to secure a place in his second championship final of the season, he'll need to accomplish something he has been unable to do in two previous tries - beat former number one Carlos Moya.
The sixth-seeded Spaniard rallied for a 5-7 6-3 6-4 win over unseeded countryman Guillermo Garcia-Lopez to book his place in the semi-finals.
The 32-year-old Moya is attempting to reach his 44th ATP final and is bidding for his first championship since July 2007 in Umag.
by espnstar.com
Tennis, BCR Open
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