LYON, France (AP) -- Bermuda-based Patrick Rafter set up an illustrious quarter-final clash with French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten with a solid victory in the Lyon Grand prix yesterday.

Rafter, who crashed out in the second round of the Master Series event in Stuttgart last week, soundly beat Morocco's Younes El Aynaoui 7-6 (4), 6-2 for his place in the round of eight.

Top seed Kuerten strengthened his bid to end the year as the world number one, shaking off scrappy French wildcard Michael Llodra to reach the quarter-finals of the $800,000 Lyon Grand Prix. Kuerten overcame the tenacious 20-year-old 7-5, 7-6 (4), to reach a showdown between double Grand Slam champions with eighth-seeded Rafter, a two-time US Open champion.

"It's going to be a tough match for me and I'll have to play and serve aggressively,'' said Kuerten, a two-time French Open winner who is seeking his first career indoors title. "The key for that match is to stay focused and not miss too many opportunities.'' Kuerten and Rafter are among the top names who have arrived at the French gastronomical capital looking to redeem early exits from the tournament in Germany last week, along with third-seeded Thomas Enqvist of Sweden, whose second-round loss cost him his Stuttgart title.

But the Swede refused to make the same mistake in Lyon, rallying back from a set down to defeat Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a first-round match.

Kuerten was well debriefed regarding the plucky French upstart, but still found it difficult to overcome the 126th-ranked Llodra, who had toppled 29th-ranked Albert Costa of Spain the opening round.

Refusing to be discounted, Llodra held strong until the 11th game, when Kuerten broke, then held his own serve and closed out the set with a pair of aces.

Again in the second, Llodra refused to yield, hanging on to force the tiebreaker. But it was there the Brazilian's experience came through, Kuerten's steely nerve carrying him to a 6-4 lead where he closed out the match when the Frenchman sent a wild return into the net.

Kuerten is one of five players who have already qualified for the end-of-season Tennis Masters Cup, an elite eight-player event in Lisbon, Portugal, in November. The others are US Open champion Marat Safin of Russia, Swede Magnus Norman, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.

Patrick Rafter: on collision course with Gustavo Kuerten in the Lyon Grand Prix.