Melbourne - Gilles Simon broke through on Monday to earn the first Grand Slam quarter-final of his career, a victory blighted by the retirement of opponent Gael Monfils.

Sixth seed Simon took a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 win when his fellow Frenchman and frequent practise partner had to retire trailing two sets to one on the Australia Day holiday.

"Of course I didn't want to win like this," said Simon, who will face the winner from the match between top seed Rafael Nadal and Chile's Fernando Gonzalez. "I'm sorry, but that is tennis."

France could duplicate a 2006 Melbourne Park showing by placing two men into the last eight if last year's finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beats James Blake.

Monfils, ranked 13th to the eight of Simon, took treatment on his troubled wrist near the end, walking off the court to applause.

Simon broke five times in his first ATP meeting with Monfils, striking 29 winners. Monfils was troubled with 31 unforced errors in his hampered game.

Simon made a rapid rise up the rankings in the second half of 2008, breaking the Top 20 and then the Top 10 for the first time in the space of three months.

In women's play, unfancied Carla Suarez Navarro, who beat Venus Williams, continued to excel as she reached the quarters over Spanish compatriot Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 6-2. (dpa)