• World No64 beats Julien Benneteau in three sets • Samantha Stosur loses in second round

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

Bernard Tomic says he's building in confidence for Wimbledon after surviving a huge lapse in concentration to reach the Eastbourne ATP quarter-finals.

The Australian world No64 admits he got ahead of himself in blowing a huge lead before grinding out a 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4) win over Frenchman Julien Benneteau on Wednesday.

After winning his first match in almost two months on Tuesday, the 20-year-old looked to be coasting towards another impressive victory when he raced to a 4-1 lead in the second set.

However Tomic admitted to losing focus as 32nd-ranked Benneteau fought back strongly to claim the second set with the match decided in a tense third-set tiebreak.

"I thought I'd (already) won the match and took my foot off the pedal," Tomic said.

"Then before you know it, he's down, he goes for his shots, he's relaxed and he breaks you ... Being up a set and 4-1, I should have won it comfortably, but I'm lucky and somehow I pulled it through in the end."

Tomic set up a last-eight showdown on Thursday with second-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon, who beat British teenager Kyle Edmund 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3).

It is the first time Tomic has posted back-to-back wins since February and, after a year marred by injury, illness and the drama surrounding his father, he's getting a timely boost a week out from the grass-court grand slam.

"I'm gaining a lot of confidence," the 2011 Wimbledon quarter-finalist said.

"A match like this in the third set is huge to play, especially before a grand slam."

On a match played on an outside court in warm conditions, Tomic's father and coach was again court-side and he stood among spectators.

Although his ATP credentials have been suspending pending an investigation into an alleged assault, John Tomic has been allowed to attend the Queen's and Eastbourne events as a paying spectator.

He was barred from attending the French Open last month and will also be refused entry at Wimbledon next week.

Bernard Tomic said he didn't feel any discomfort in his troublesome hamstring during the match, though he did feel it during a round of golf following his first-round win over James Ward on Tuesday.

"I had to stop the golf early," Tomic said.

"But I didn't feel it today, which is good."

Tomic is the last Australian left in singles at Eastbourne after Samantha Stosur lost her second round match to Czech Lucie Safarova 7-5, 6-3 earlier on Wednesday.