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Event Recap
Mathieu rolls into BMW quarters
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Munich, Germany (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu highlighted Wednesday's second-round winners at the clay-court BMW Open.
Mathieu handled Italian qualifier Gianluca Naso 6-3, 6-4 on Day 3 at MTTC Iphitos. Up next for the Frenchman will be eighth-seeded Croat Marin Cilic.
An upset came when Simone Bolelli bounced sixth-seeded fellow Italian Andreas Seppi 6-4, 7-5 at this French Open tune-up.
The aforementioned Cilic avoided an upset by holding off German Philipp Petzschner 6-4, 7-6 (9-7), while Korean Hyung-Taik Lee dropped Brazilian lucky-loser and fellow non-seed Julio Silva 6-1, 6-4. Lee will encounter Bolelli in the round of eight here.
Wild card and former world No. 1 Marat Safin was an opening-round victor, as the big Russian outlasted Argentine Carlos Berlocq 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in a match that was postponed because of rain here on Tuesday. Safin will face German Michael Berrer on Thursday.
In other first-round action, seventh-seeded Belgian Steve Darcis drubbed German Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-4; Moroccan veteran Younes El Aynaoui got past fellow qualifier Alexandre Sidorenko of France 6-4, 7-6 (8-6); and Berrer bested Slovakian lucky-loser Ivo Klec 6-1, 7-6 (8-6). El Aynaoui titled here back in 2002.
The 2008 BMW Open champion will pocket $90,000.