RENNES, January 25, 2018

The ATP Challenger Tour has returned to Brittany in northwestern France for the 12th edition of the €64,000 Open de Rennes, held at the Salle Colette-Besson this week. With four players making their way into the stage of the final eight, the singles quarterfinals of the tournament are set.

Local favourite Quentin Halys headlined Thursday’s second round action, as he rallied past Alexey Vatutin of Russia 4-6, 6-4, 7-6. The No. 6 seed fired 17 aces, winning 84 per cent of his first service points to prevail after two hours and 21 minutes. Halys will next take on second seed Vasek Pospisil, who ended a six-match winning streak of Koblenz Open champion Mats Moraing of Germany. The 27-year-old Canadian won 83 of the total 149 points played to secure a 7-6, 7-6 victory in one hour and 25 minutes.

French qualifier Antoine Hoang ousted eighth favourite Norbert Gombos from Slovakia 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. The World No. 310 from Toulon broke serve four times to advance in one hour and 40 minutes. Hoang will next challenge Yannick Maden from Germany, who Sweden’s #NextGenATP player Elias Ymer 6-4, 6-4. The encounter lasted one hour and 22 minutes.

Guinard Knocks Out Gulbis

Later in the evening, Manuel Guinard completed the quartefinals line-up. The French wild card entry, who is competing in his first main draw at ATP Challenger level, upset former World No. 10 Ernests Gulbis from Latvia 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to celebrate his biggest win in his career after one hour and 52 minutes. Next up for Guinard will be Liam Broady from Great Britain.

Russian veteran, Mikhail Youzhny, top seed of the ATP Challenger event, fell in the second round on Wednesday to Frenchman Gleb Sakharov, who will face the tournament’s No. 7 Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania.