Dustin Brown broke serve four times to beat Gilles Simon 6-4 6-4 in 64 minutes and booked his spot for the quarter finals in Montpellier. The German player of Jamaican origin, who is ranked World Number 133 and got through the qualifying round in Montpellier, has scored his biggest win since his upset victory against Rafa Nadal in the Wimbledon second round last July. Simon recently forced Novak Djokovic to a five-set match at the Australian Open. Brown fired 10 aces, fended off both break points he faced and won 83 percent of his first serve points.
Simon was the first to earn a break point in the sixth game but Brown held his service game before breaking serve in the next game. Brown held his next two service games to love en route to winning the first set 6-4. Brown won more than 90 percent of his first serve points in the first set.
Simon earned three game points in the first game of the second set but he could not hold his serve as Brown broke serve. The German earned three chances for a double break in the seventh game but Simon fended them off. Brown saved a break point at 4-3 before holding his next service games to clinch the second set 6-4.
“I feel happy. Gilles is a great player and I have played against him twice before and lost. Watching the last matches, and knowing how he plays, I wanted to be aggressive with my serve and my return. I tried not to let him play his strengths. I didn’t play as much serve and volley, coming into the net on second serves. I didn’t give him a lot of time”, said Brown.
Brown set up a quarter final against Belgian Ruben Bemelmans who saw off Jan Lennard Struff 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 to qualify for his first quarter final since losing to Lukas Rosol in October 2013. Struff fired 14 aces but he could not convert any of his eight break point chances.
Pierre Henry Mathieu upset fourth seed Benoit Paire 6-3 6-1 in one hour and 8 minutes.
Mathieu did not face a break point and won 92 percent of his first serve points in the first set. He got the break the break in the fourth game to take the first set 6-3. In the second set Mathieu broke serve to open up a 4-1 lead. Paire broke back but Mathieu broke serve again in the 9th game to clinch the win.
John Millman fought back from a set down to edge Edouard Roger Vasselin 4-6 6-1 6-4.
Four of the top five seeds have been knocked out of the tournament.
