Teddy Riner qualified for the semi-finals of the Paris Judo Grand Slam on Sunday at Bercy.
In the quarterfinals, the French beat the Azerbaijani Dzhamal Gamzatkhanov by waza-ari in the Golden score.
For his entry into the running, he had defeated Bahraini Azamat Chotchaev in an expeditious manner, scoring an ippon after 29 seconds.
In the next round, the 33-year-old Guadeloupe needed 2 min 35 sec to overcome Kazakh Adil Orazbayev, surprise winner of Brazilian double Olympic medalist Rafael Silva.
Three years after his last appearance at the Accor Arena, Riner, back from injury, is aiming for a seventh title in this prestigious tournament.
Last October, the ten-time world champion was forced to forfeit the Worlds in Uzbekistan due to a sprained right ankle. He had returned to competition in the final of the Champions League by teams disputed in Georgia on November 26 with his club PSG.
