Former champion Tomas Berdych made a winning return to the Open Sud de France on Tuesday with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 victory over German qualifier Matthias Bachinger.
Berdych, who won the hardcourt title in 2012, saved seven of the 11 break points he faced to win in 2 hours, 12 minutes.
The Czech player will next face eighth-seeded Benoit Paire, who defeated Evgeny Donskoy of Russia 7-5, 6-3. Berdych has won all three previous meetings against the French player.
Also Tuesday, sixth-seeded Jeremy Chardy defeated Adrian Menendez-Maceiras 6-1, 6-1, while Ernests Gulbis, Antoine Hoang and Filip Krajinovic also advanced.
American Denis Kudla lost 6-2, 6-1 to seventh-seeded Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga proved that experience counts as he came from a set down to beat fellow Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the first round of the Open Sud de France on Monday.
Continuing his comeback from knee surgery in April, Tsonga dropped the first set in Montpellier to up-and-coming youngster Humbert in just 30 minutes.
But Tsonga, 33, won a tense second-set tiebreak and then broke in the first game of the final set to set up a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 win.
The world No. 210 will next face another Frenchman in Gilles Simon.
Marcel Granollers won two of three tiebreaks to overcome veteran Croatian Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (3), 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5).
Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic continued his good form with a comfortable 7-6 (7), 6-4 win over Frenchman Nicolas Mahut.
French qualifier Antoine Hoang demolished Belgium’s Steve Darcis 6-1, 6-2 and Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis defeated Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-6 (5).
Information from Associated Press was used in this report.