BANGKOK -- Tenth-ranked Gilles Simon of France, playing his first match in a month, routed American Kevin Kim 6-2, 6-2 on Thursday to reserve a quarterfinal spot at the Thailand Open at Impact Arena.
Second-seeded Simon, who was forced to retire with a knee injury during the U.S. Open third round while facing Juan Carlos Ferrero, dominated play with an impressive baseline game to wrap up the second round match in just 61 minutes.
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"I didn't know what to expect but I played a good match," said the 24-year-old Simon, who had a first-round bye. "My knee is still shaky but I tried not to think about it. I can play today but sometimes I wake up in the morning and it's painful."
Eighth-seeded John Isner of the United States also advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Mischa Zverev of Germany 7-6 (5), 6-4 in 1 hour, 23 minutes.
Isner will next face fourth-seeded Viktor Troicki of Serbia, who advanced to the quarterfinals by beating 61st-ranked Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil on Wednesday.
"He's really good," Isner said of Troicki. "He hits the ball really big. So do I. It will be a good match. He has won a lot of matches this year. That's why he's 32nd in the world. I have to play like I did today if not better to beat him."
Germany's Andreas Beck also cruised into the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-4 victory over Donald Young of the United States. Beck will play sixth-seeded Jurgen Melzer of Austria, who advanced to the quarterfinals by beating Turkish qualifier Marsel Ilhan on Wednesday.
