AFP/Halle, Germany
Gael Monfils of France prepares to serve the ball to Croatia’s Ivan Dodig during their match of the ATP tennis tournament in Halle, Germany yesterday. Monfils won the match 6-2, 6-3
France’s Gael Monfils admitted he was delighted by his form on the grasscourts of Halle’s ATP tournament after booking his quarter-final berth with a straight sets win yesterday.
The 24-year-old third seed saw off Croatia’s Ivan Dodig with a 6-2, 6-3 second round win and in Friday’s quarter-finals he will now play sixth-seeded German Florian Mayer.
The local favourite enjoyed a 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-4 win over Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun and was impressive in the second round clash, with Mayer firing down 13 aces on the firm Halle turf which is favouring the big hitters.
Monfils conceded he was not a natural on grass and was looking to improve his game with Wimbledon now ten days away.
“I really feel good, especially because I moved well,” said Monfils, who beat compatriot Florent Serra in straight sets in the first round here.
“I am happy about that, because I do have problems adjusting to grass. In the last ten days before Wimbledon, I want to improve my overall game further still - serve faster and stronger and work on my movement.
“Last year, I was terrible on grass, because that surface does not come natural to me, so this year I am happy, I want to continue improving.
“All in all, after this second easy win, I think I have made a good debut on grass here in Halle.”
Monfils says he is wary of the quarter-final clash with Mayer, who will have the enthusiastic Halle crowd behind him.
Having beaten lucky loser Leonardo Mayer in the first round, defending champion Lleyton Hewitt was scheduled to play Italy’s Andreas Seppi in a late match yesterday, with a quarter-final place at stake.
Local favourite Philipp Kohlschreiber awaits the winner after the German enjoyed a 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) victory over seventh-seed Alexandr Dolgopolov, despite the Ukrainian hitting nine aces.
“It is always good to beat a player in the top 20,” said Kohlschreiber, ranked 42nd in the world, before correcting himself immediately. 
“Ok, so he is 21st,” he said with a smile.
In today’s other quarter-finals, Germany’s Philipp Petschner will play Canada’s rising star Milos Raonic and top seed Tomas Berdych will play fifth seed Viktor Troicki of Serbia.
Results
Second round: Gael Monfils (FRA x3) bt Ivan Dodig (CRO) 6-2, 6-3; Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) bt Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR x7) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5); Florian Mayer (GER x6) bt Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE) 7-6(7/4), 3-6, 6-4