Brown beats top-seeded Cilic in Montpellier

MONTPELLIER, France (AP) Dustin Brown hit eight aces and didn't face a break point as he upset top-seeded Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4 at the Open Sud de France on Wednesday.

The 84th-ranked German broke his Croatian opponent once in each set to reach the quarterfinals at the indoor tournament. Brown, who sealed his win with an ace, will next face Frenchman Benoit Paire or fifth-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain.

It has been a disappointing start to the year for Cilic, who has won just one match so far and lost in the second round of the Australian Open.

Qualifier Kenny De Schepper, a 162th-ranked Frenchman, created another upset in the southern French city by defeating sixth-seeded Mischa Zverev 6-4, 6-3 in a first-round match. It was De Schepper's first victory on the main circuit since reaching the second round in Montpellier a year ago.