Top-Seeded Simon Stays Hot in Bucharest; Troicki and Baghdatis Upset

By Chris Oddo

Photo Credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve

(April 26, 2012)—Gilles Simon continued his fine of fine form on clay, defeating world No. 63 Dudi Sela of Israel 6-4, 6-2 today for his sixth win in his last seven matches.

Simon, a two-time champion at Bucharest (2007 d. Hanescu, 2008 d. Moya), now owns a 12-1 record at the event. The world No. 12, who has won four of his nine career titles on clay, saved three of four break points in the first set versus Sela, while converting on each of his two break opportunities.

In the second set, Simon broke another two times while not facing a break point on his serve.

The victory is Simon’s third in three attempts against Sela, and the only straight-sets win.

The No. 1-seeded Frenchman will face seventh-seeded Lukasz Kubot of Poland in tomorrow’s quarterfinals.

A Pair of Big Upsets

Fourth-seeded Viktor Troicki and fifth-seeded Marcos Baghdatis both went down in second-round play today.

Troicki surrendered five breaks of serve and eventually fell to No. 130-ranked German Matthias Bachinger in a third set tiebreaker, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2).

Baghdatis, playing his first clay-court match of the season, was up a break in both sets but eventually bowed out to Italian Fabio Fognini 7-5, 7-6(4).

Quarterfinal Match-Ups

(1) Simon vs. (7) Kubot

Bachinger vs. Brands

(6) Seppi vs. Fognini

(Q) Balasz vs. Malisse