ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Latvian tennis player Ernests “The Gull” Gulbis will feature in the quarter-finals in the St. Petersburg Open after defeating fourth seed Jeremy Chardy of France.

The Gull lived up to his reputation as something of giant killer when he defeated Chardy 7-6, 6-3 on main court, Wednesday afternoon. The bigger challenge for Gulbis will to be now advance to his first semi-final this calendar year.

The win also has extra significance because by making the quarter-finals Gulbis has guaranteed his spot in the 2010 Australian Open.

It is not yet known who he will play in the quarter-final, scheduled to take place on Friday. With only a handful of the world’s top players competing in Russia this week, it is a golden opportunity for The Gull to find some much needed consistency for the entirety of a tournament.