Tsonga advances to quarters at soggy French Open

Paris, June 1 (IANS/EFE) France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated the Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych, the world No. 4, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3 to advance to the quarter-finals at the French Open.

Tsonga needed two hours and 58 minutes to beat Berdych on Sunday when numerous matches were delayed or postponed due to the heavy rains in the French capital.

Up next for Tsonga in the quarter-finals is Japan's Kei Nishikori, who rolled over Russia's Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Nishikori, the 2014 US Open finalist, is enjoying his best outing ever at Roland Garros, where he fell in the first round last year.

He is the second Japanese man to make the quarter-finals at the French Open, matching the feat pulled off by Jiro Satoh in 1931 and 1933.

Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over France's Gilles Simon.

Wawrinka, the No.8 seed, will play the winner of Sunday's match between Swiss world No.2 Roger Federer and France's Gael Monfils.

Play in the Federer-Monfils match was suspended with the players even at one set each.

Federer took the first set 6-3 and Monfils bounced back and won the second set 6-4. The Frenchman will be on serve to start the third set when play resumes on Monday.

Wawrinka, the 2014 Australian Open champion, fell in the first round last year at the French Open and has now matched his best performance at the clay court event, where he made the quarters in 2013.

--IANS/EFE

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