Tsonga beats Simon to reach Montpellier quarter-final

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is through to the quarter-finals at the South of France Open in Montpellier after beating Gilles Simon.

In Wednesday night’s all-France battle, Tsonga needed one hour and 34 minutes to see off Simon’s challenge, 6-2 7-6 (3).

Tsonga, 33, will face Jeremy Chardy in the last eight after he overcame French qualifier Antoine Hoang 6-3 7-5.

Tomas Berdych won eight consecutive games to secure a crushing 6-2 6-0 win over Benoit Paire.

Berdych, who dropped only five points in a match that lasted just 58 minutes, meets Filip Krajinovic after he beat second seed David Goffin 6-4 6-4.

Elsewhere, there were first-round victories for Radu Albot, Marcos Baghdatis and Ilya Ivashka.

In Bulgaria, Matteo Berrettini knocked out top seed Karen Khachanov at the Sofia Open.

Italy’s Berrettini lost the first-set tie break, but bounced back to secure a surprise 6-7 (6) 6-3 6-4 win and progress to the quarter-finals.

He sets up a meeting with either Fernando Verdasco or Marius Copil after they came through their respective first-round matches.

Roberto Bautista Agut meanwhile, secured his 10th victory in 11 matches this season after he recovered from a set down to beat Matthew Ebden 3-6 6-3 6-2.

Yannick Maden or Marton Fucsovics await Agut for a place in the semi-finals.

In the Cordoba Open, qualifier Pedro Cachin beat the fourth-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta.

Busta won the opening set 7-6 (3) and was 1-0 down in the second when he was forced to retire and concede defeat in the round of 16.

Wildcard Juan Ignacio Londero advanced with a 7-5 6-3 win over Lorenzo Sonego.