Top-seeded Gael Monfils (photo) won two matches on Thursday night, beating Ryan Sweeting then Dmitry Tursunov, to progress to the quarter-finals of the Legg Mason Classic.

Monfils was among several players who were forced to play both their second and third-round matches on the same day due to rain curtailing play on Wednesday.

The Frenchman downed American Sweeting 6-3, 7-6 (3) and had a very similar scoreline against Russian Tursunov, winning 6-2, 7-6 (9).

His opponent in the quarterfinals will be Serbian No. 6 seed Janko Tipsarevic, who also got through two straight-sets matches, beating Germany’s Michael Berrer 6-3, 6-4, then Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-2.

The other player to win twice was seventh-seeded Marcos Baghdatis, though the Cypriot had to labor through six sets to down Somdev Devvarman 6-2, 0-6, 7-5 and Thomaz Bellucci 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Baghdatis- last year’s beaten finalist - will next face American Donald Young, who beat compatriot Michael Russell 6-3, 6-3, giving a hint he may finally be ready to deliver on the great promise he showed as a junior.

Tursunov, Dimitrov and Bellucci also played twice. Tursunov had beaten Italian Flavio Cipolla 6-1, 6-4 in his initial match; Dimitrov progressed from the early match when Michael Llodra retired with a rib injury while trailing 4-3 in the first set; while Brazil’s Bellucci had beaten Tommy Haas 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-3.

Having an easier task was No. 3 seed Viktor Troicki, who beat South Africa’s Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3. The Serb will next face big-serving John Isner, who won five less games than James Blake but snared both tiebreaks against his neighbor and doubles partner to win 7-6 (0), 1-6, 7-6 (4).

The 11th-seeded Isner hit 13 aces and overcame 46 unforced errors, including seven double-faults, to beat Blake for the second time in a span of two weeks. Isner topped Blake at Atlanta; the first time they faced each other as pros.

No. 5-seeded Fernando Verdasco - one of the lucky ones who didn’t need to play twice - got to the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over No. 9 Nikolay Davydenko. Verdasco will face Radek Stepanek, who eliminated No. 16-seeded Jarkko Nieminen 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

Earlier, a traditional backhand probably would have sufficed for Monfils late in the second set of his match against Sweeting.

Instead, Monfils opted for something worthy of a highlight reel, spinning and wrapping his racket around his body for a behind-the-back shot that somehow cleared the net.

Alas, Monfils lost the point seconds later by missing a regular old forehand. Still, that was only a minor blip in a dominant performance that included 17 aces.

Monfils’ usual entertaining brand of tennis drew kudos from Sweeting.

“I laughed a little bit today. He hit some great shots,” Sweeting said, then clarified that his chuckles came “out of respect.”

“He hit a shot behind his back. He jumped 10 feet in the air,” Sweeting said. “He’s just so athletic. I was laughing because it’s just amazing.”