Mahut ousted at Open de Moselle

Oct 2, 2008 - 9:04 PM METZ, France (Ticker) -- Nicolas Mahut upset a fellow Frenchman at Open de Moselle on Wednesday. A day later, he received a taste of his own medicine.

Unseeded Frenchman Marc Gicquel got the best of Mahut in second-round action at the hardcourt event Thursday, earning a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) triumph.

Mahut knocked off second-seeded compatriot Gilles Simon in the first round, but was unable to build on the win, squandering a 6-5 lead on serve in the second set against Gicquel.

Yet another Frenchman is on tap for Gicquel in the quarterfinals, as 20-year-old Adrian Mannarino advanced with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over fellow qualifier Rick De Voest of South Africa. At age 31 and the world No. 41, Gicquel certainly will have the edge in experience when he faces the 181st-ranked Mannarino.

Eduardo Schwank, who upset No. 3 Nicolas Almagro in the opening round, continued to play well here, reaching the quarterfinals with a 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (5-7), 6-3 victory over Romania's Victor Hanescu.

The unseeded Argentine will try to pull off another surprise in the round of eight when he faces seventh-seeded Czech Radek Stepanek, who rallied for a 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 7-6 (7-0) triumph against Michael Llodra of France.

No. 4 Paul Henri-Mathieu moved into the quarters Thursday, defeating qualifier Romain Jouan, 6-3, 6-3, in another all-French second-round encounter.

First prize is $85,500.