MUNICH: Fourth-seed Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic will face former world number one Lleyton Hewitt in Friday's quarter-final of Munich's ATP tournament after both secured second-round wins on Thursday.

Australia's Hewitt, now ranked 55th in the world, picked up his 501st victory on the ATP circuit when he beat Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-4 and had few problems on the way to victory.

But Berdych had to come back from losing the first set and at 5-2 in the third set he suffered a scare before winning the tie-breaker to claim a 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) win in two and a half hours.

Earlier, France's Julien Benneteau failed to join compatriots Paul-Henri Mathieu and Jeremy Chardy in the quarter-finals when he lost to wildcard entrant Germany's Daniel Brands.

Despite losing the second set, Brands held his nerve to win 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8/6) to beat Benneteau, ranked 46th in the world, as the German advanced to the quarter-finals.

"I might not be the favourite, but I still have a small chance," said Brands.

Brands, ranked 141th in the world, will face Potito Starace in the quarter-finals after the Italian beat compatriot Simone Bolelli, who reached last year's final, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) in his second-round game.

In Friday's other confirmed quarter-finals, second-seed Marin Cilic will face Chardy while unseeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny will play seventh-seeded Frenchman Mathieu.