Denmark's Kristian Pless enjoyed a surprise 6-3 6-1 win over local hero Nicolas Escude in their quarter-final.

BBC: Kuerten edges out Safin

In other results in Milan, seventh seed Nicolas Escude was another upset victim - falling to Dominik Hrbaty 6-4 1-6 6-3.

BBC: Top seed Novak dumped out

So it is logical to say that even lower-ranked players like Nicolas Escude and Fabrice Santoro will confidently expect good runs in Paris, especially with the home fans behind them.

BBC: The French revolution