Top seed Mannarino stunned in Hertogenbosch

(Reuters) - Top-seeded Adrian Mannarino fell to a shock 6-4 6-4 defeat at the hands of French compatriot Jeremy Chardy in the second round of the Libema Open at Hertogenbosch on Thursday.

Another French stalwart Richard Gasquet, a two-times semi-finalist at Wimbledon, eased into the last eight after beating world number 76 Evgeny Donskoy 6-2 6-2.

Chardy, ranked 78th in the world, upset Mannarino on a rainy day in Rosmalen, which saw play suspended for over two hours, and will meet Mackenzie McDonald in the quarter-finals after the American beat Australian qualifier Alex Bolt 6-4 7-5.

Gasquet, who is competing in the tournament for the first time since 2008, dismantled Donskoy in a little over an hour to set up a quarter-final encounter with Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas.

“It’s always tough to win,” Gasquet, currently world number 30, said. “The transition from clay to grass is definitely the toughest, and it gets tougher with age.”

Tsitsipas, a runner-up at the Barcelona Open in April, earned a hard-fought 4-6 7-6(6) 6-2 win over Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri.

Australians Bernard Tomic and Matthew Ebden will kick-off the quarter-final action on Friday while Chardy and Gasquet will also be in action later.