Bucharest, Romania (Sports Network) - Hometown favorite Victor Hanescu toppled third-seeded Italian Potito Starace in Friday's quarterfinal action at the $400,000 Romanian Open.
The Bucharest native Hanescu, a wild card this week, sent Starace packing with a 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 decision on the red clay at BNR Arenas.
The only seeded player still standing this week, No. 6 Frenchman Gilles Simon, avoided an upset by drilling American qualifier Hugo Armando 6-4, 6-2 on Day 5.
In other quarterfinal action, qualifier Gael Monfils drubbed fellow Frenchman Marc Gicquel 6-4, 6-2 and Argentine Carlos Berlocq dismissed Russian qualifier Yuri Schukin 7-5, 6-3.
Saturday's semifinals will pit Simon against Berlocq and Hanescu versus Monfils.
Bucharest, Romania (Sports Network) - Third-seeded Italian Potito Starace, the highest-remaining seed still standing this week, highlighted Thursday's second-round winners at the $400,000 Romanian Open.
Starace drove out veteran Romanian crowd favorite Andrei Pavel 6-3, 6-3 on the red clay at B.N.R. Arenas. The 33-year-old Pavel entered the draw as a wild card this week.
Another Romanian wild card did not disappoint the home crowd on Day 4, however, as Victor Hanescu knocked out eighth-seeded Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-3, 6-2 to reach Friday's quarterfinals, where he will meet Starace. Montanes was the Bucharest runner-up back in 2001.
In other second-round play, Russian qualifier Yuri Schukin got past Italian Simone Bolelli 6-4, 6-3 and Argentine Carlos Berlocq handled Spaniard Ivan Navarro Pastor 7-5, 6-3.
The other quarters will pit sixth-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon against American Hugo Armando, Schukin versus Berlocq and Frenchman Marc Gicquel against his countryman Gael Monfils.
Bucharest, Romania (Sports Network) - Hometown favorite Victor Hanescu toppled third-seeded Italian Potito Starace in Friday's quarterfinal action at the $400,000 Romanian Open.
