Munich, Germany, 3 May 2013 | AFP

Florian Mayer, the sixth-seed and 2011 runner-up, has rallied past Australia’s Marinko Matosevic at the BMW Open in Munich.

The local overcame the loss of the first set to score a comeback 2-6 6-4 6-2 victory in one hour and 30 minutes.

Mayer will next take on compatriot Tommy Haas in the only all-German quarter-final after the 35-year-old beat Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis 6-4 6-7(3) 6-1 on his 10th appearance in Munich.

“It was a tough match, but I knew it would be beforehand,” said Haas as rain-affected Thursday’s play.

“It’s perhaps my last big chance to win here.”

Top seed Janko Tipsarevic opened his campaign at the ATP 250 claycourt tournament on Thursday by easing into the quarterfinals with a 6-4 6-2 victory over Slovenia’s Grega Zemlja.

The Serbian, ranked 10th in the world, is aiming to clinch his second title of the year, having started the season with a win in Chennai.

Tipsarevic, who captured his first clay title in Stuttgart in 2012, will now play Germany’s Daniel Brands, who beat French wildcard Gael Monfils 6-3 3-6 6-0, for a place in Saturday’s semifinals.

In the other quarterfinal, fifth-seed Alexandr Dolgopolov will face Croatia’s Ivan Dodig.