Gilles Simon upset David Ferrer to set up a fourth-round showdown against Marin Cilic at the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows New York on Sunday afternoon.

Simon, 29, reached the fourth round in the tournament for the second time in his career after outgunning the fourth seed in four sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 in a match that lasted two hours and 48 minutes.

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On a very hot and humid day at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, the Spaniard committed 52 unforced errors and converted only three out of 11 break point chances which led to his defeat.

"It was a tough match for me," Ferrer said. "There is a lot of humidity, very sun, and it was not easy for me."

The Frenchman became the first lower ranking player who defeated a top 10 player in the tournament.

"It was really, really difficult to play today," Simon said. "I feel it was one of the hardest days for me on the court because it was so hot and it was so humid."

Simon will meet Cilic next who earlier in the day defeated Kevin Anderson of South Africa, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Cilic and Anderson are both tall and hard-hitting guys who put pressure on their opponents with their powerful serves, and the-25-year-old Croatian got the better part as he converted 82 percent of his first serves compared to the 65 percent of Anderson.

The 14th seeded Cilic got off to a great start as he took the first set easily against the South African but stumbled on the second set for a loss.

Cilic kept calm and delivered on the next two sets, thanks to a number of unforced errors from Anderson, to claim a spot at the quarters.

This is Cilic's second quarter-finals appearance after Wimbledon and Anderson's first third round exit after reaching the fourth round in all of the Grand Slam events early this year.

TagsDavid Ferrer, Gilles Simon, Kevin Anderson, Marin Cilic