Simon into Bucharest QFs
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Two-time Bucharest champion Gilles Simon was an easy second-round winner Thursday at the $522,500 BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy tennis event.
The top-seeded world No. 12 Simon subdued Israeli veteran Dudi Sela 6-4, 6-2 on the red clay at BNR Arenas.
Simon, who titled here back-to-back in 2007 and 2008, will face seventh-seeded Pole Lukasz Kubot in Friday's quarterfinals. Kubot handled Romanian wild card Markus Copil 6-3, 6-3 on Day 4.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Upsets came when German Matthias Bachinger knocked out fourth-seeded Serb Viktor Troicki 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2) and Italian Fabio Fognini foiled fifth- seeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 7-5, 7-6 (7-4).
Sixth-seeded Italian Andreas Seppi avoided an upset by drilling German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe 6-2, 6-3.
Friday's other quarters will pit Seppi against his fellow Italian Fognini, Hungarian qualifier Attila Balazs versus Belgian Xavier Malisse and Matthias Bachinger against fellow German Daniel Brands.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The 2012 Bucharest titlist will pocket $95,000.