Gonzalez ends Ginepri's challenge

Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez breezed into the last eight of the French Open after enjoying a routine win over unseeded American Robby Ginepri.

Gonzalez, a clay-court specialist, was always the favourite against Ginepri, who was won less than 30% of his matches on the surface, and so it proved as the number 24 seed eased to a 7-6 6-3 6-1 win.

Gonzalez stole an early march in the first set by breaking Ginepri, who was playing with strapping on his right arm.

The American fought his way back onto level terms with a break in the sixth game before both players held the rest of the way to set up a tie-breaker, which went the way of the Chilean.

Gonzalez claimed two service breaks to one in the next set, and served out to love in the ninth game to move 2-0 ahead.

Ginepri, who had never won a match at Roland Garros prior to this year’s event, ran out of ideas in the third as Gonzalez broke his opponent three times to progress to the quarter-finals for the first time in five years.