French top seed Gael Monfils won two matches in 10 hours on Thursday, ousting Russian Dmitry Tursunov 6-2, 7-6 (11/9) in the latter to reach the quarter-finals of the $1.4 million ATP Washington Classic. Seventh-ranked Monfils, a French Open quarter-finalist, had earlier fired 17 aces in downing American Ryan Sweeting 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), his twice-in-a-day feat of endurance necessitated by rain Wednesday that postponed six matches.
"I'm in good shape," Monfils said. "I come from the clay season so I'm used to having long matches." Monfils must win five matches in four days here to claim his fourth career ATP crown after titles last year at Montpelier, in 2009 at Metz and in 2005 at Sopot. His only outdoor hardcourt final since 2006 was last year at Tokyo.
Serbian sixth seed Janko Tipsarevic, the next foe for Monfils, and Cypriot seventh seed Marcos Baghdatis, who went six sets in one day for the first time, also won twice Thursday to book last-eight berths at the US Open tune-up event. "It's good to finish six sets and physical-wise I feel good," Baghdatis said. "You know you can do it, but it's nice to achieve that."
World No 45 Tursunov, who won his seventh career ATP title last month at Rosmalen, was denied on all three break chances against Monfils in the first set, which took only 33 of the match's 99 minutes. Tipsarevic, 27, ousted Germany's Michael Berrer 6-3, 6-4, in the afternoon and dispatched Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-2 in the night-cap to book a date with the Frenchman.
Baghdatis, last year's Washington runner-up, defeated reigning Commonwealth Games and Asian Games champion Somdev Devvarman 6-2, 0-6, 7-5 and later outlasted Brazil's Tomaz Bellucci 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. John Isner outlasted pal and neighbour James Blake 7-6 (7/0), 1-6, 7-6 (7/4).
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