DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Gael Monfils' comeback from injury took a hit Thursday when he lost to German qualifier Daniel Brands 6-1, 7-5 in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open.
The Frenchman, who ended his season early in 2012 because of knee problems, beat Philip Kohlschreiber in three sets to reach the quarterfinals. But he came out sluggish against the 153rd-ranked Brands, struggling to return the German's serve and failing to chase down many of his forehands.
Brands will face second-seeded Richard Gasquet, who beat Lukas Lacko of Slovakia 6-1, 6-3. Top-seeded David Ferrer defeated Paolo Lorenzi 6-3, 6-0.
Ferrer will take on a resurgent Nikolay Davydenko, who routed Simone Bolelli of Italy 6-1, 6-1 in 49 minutes, winning all five break points and nearly 80 percent of the first-service points.
After losing the first set, Monfils took 3-0 and 5-2 leads in the second, but Brands won the final five games.
"He went for his shots more than me," Monfils said. "He was playing very fast at the beginning, and it took me a while to adapt and to just to see how he was playing."
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