The Thai was pushed to a first-set tiebreaker before cruising past the Frenchman in the second round of the RCA Championships.
Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi's French Open campaign was cut short in the second round following a straight-set defeat against local pair of Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra in Paris on Sunday.
Former world number one Marat Safin ended his playing career with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 defeat by US Open champion Juan Martin del Porto at the Paris Masters on Wednesday.
Former world number one Marat Safin, in his final tournament before retiring, squeezed past French qualifier Thierry Ascione 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 in a Paris Masters first-round match on Monday. The gifted but erratic Russian, who has been hampered by injuries in recent years and has dropped out of the top 50, was made to work hard against a player ranked 168th in the world.
Roger Federer moved into the third round of the French Open in the nick of time on Wednesday with a 6-1 6-2 7-6 defeat of wildcard Thierry Ascione.
Andy Roddick defeated French wildcard Thierry Ascione in the first round of the Lyon Grand Prix.
The Indian ace won his men's doubles and mixed doubles matches at the french Open on Saturday.
A year before he won his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in 2005, Rafa made his debut in India at the Chennai Open.
