Gilles Simon moved a step closer to defending his title at the BCR Open on Friday after he defeated fellow Frenchman Florent Serra 6-2 6-3 to reach the semi-finals of the claycourt event.
The second-seeded Simon will have to go through another former champion if he hopes to make a return trip to the final as number eight Jose Acasuso, the 2004 winner, awaits him after taking out unseeded Ivan Navarro 6-4 6-4 in the quarters.
Simon, 23, has enjoyed past success against the Argentine and will carry a 3-0 record into their semi-final encounter Saturday.
While Acasuso hasn't won a title since 2006, Simon is enjoying the best season of his career, having won a pair of championships and posting a 38-20 record.
Currently ranked 17th in the world, Simon punctuated his year in July when he beat then-world number one Roger Federer in the second round of the Rogers Cup in Canada.
Another Frenchmen continued his push through the draw Friday as top-seeded Richard Gasquet overcame a slow start to roll past Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia 6-7 (8-6) 6-1 6-1.
Gasquet is ranked 12th in the world, but has yet to win a title this year and owns a lacklustre 26-17 record.
This marks just the second time in 2008 that the 22-year-old has advanced past the quarters as he finished as a runner-up at Stuttgart earlier this year.
For Gasquet to secure a place in his second championship of the season, he'll need to accomplish something he has been unable to do in two previous tries - beat former number one Carlos Moya.
The sixth-seeded Spaniard rallied for a 5-7 6-3 6-4 win over unseeded countryman Guillermo Garcia-Lopez to book his place in the semi-finals.
The 32-year-old Moya is attempting to reach his 44th ATP final and is bidding for his first championship since July 2007 in Umag.
BCR Open quarter-final results
1- Richard Gasquet (France) bt. Teimuraz Gabashvili (Russia) 6-7(6-8) 6-1 6-1
2-Gilles Simon (France) bt Florent Serra (FRA) 62 63
6-Carlos Moya (Spain) bt. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) 5-7 6-3 6-4
8-Jose Acasuso (Argentina) bt. Ivan Navarro (Spain) 6-4 6-4