Gilles Simon recorded a 6-4 7-6 victory over fellow Frenchman Jeremy Chardy at the Madrid Masters this afternoon.

One break of serve was all that Simon required during the opening set and when he broke early during the next set, it looked as though he was going to ease into round three of the competition.

However, Chardy responded to level up the match at 5-5 and with no further breaks, a tie-breaker was required to determine a victor.

Chardy initially gained the advantage, but he was soon broken by Simon, who went on to win 7-5.

He will now face the winner of Andy Murray against Florian Mayer in the next round.