Feliciano Lopez, Fernando Verdasco advance to the quarter-finals – Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 2012
Feliciano Lopez beats Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 6-1
Seventh seed, Feliciano Lopez, moved to the last eight for the second successive year in Barcelona, as he ousted Jarkko Nieminen of Finland in straight sets 6-3, 6-1 in the third round at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Thursday.
It took the Spaniard just an hour and 11 minutes to come out victorious from the match.
Lopez and Nieminen held their serve in the opening four games of the first set and evened out the score at 2-2. The Spaniard broke Nieminen at that moment and consolidated on it to attain a 4-2 advantage. Serving to stay in the
set at 3-5, the Finn lost his serve and also the set 3-6.
Nieminen and Lopez started the second set by winning their opening serves, levelling the score at 1-1. The Spaniard snatched five straight games after that to triumph 6-1.
The 30-year-old, Lopez, dominated on his serve, as he banged in eight aces and captured 22 of the 31 points on the first delivery points. The Madrid, Spain resident saved all the seven break points he came across in the match.
Lopez will take on compatriot, David Ferrer, in the quarter-final. The third seed outclassed Albert Montanes in straight sets 6-0, 6-2 in the third round.
Fernando Verdasco defeats Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-4
Former champion, Fernando Verdasco of Spain, moved one step closer to regaining his title, toppling 13th seed, Kevin Anderson, in twin sets 6-4, 6-4 and moving to the quarter-finals.
Verdasco and Anderson went neck to neck in the first four games of the match, taking the score to 2-2. The Spaniard snatched a break in the fifth and capitalised on it to win 6-4.
Neither of the two players managed to break the other in the first eight games of the second set, squaring off the score at 4-4. After that, Verdasco pressed the accelerator and claimed two games in a row to capture it 6-4.
The Spaniard served so well that he hit more aces than his big serving opponent, banging in five compared to four by the South African. The left-hander put in 71 percent of the first deliveries and bagged 35 of the 44 points on
them.
Verdasco needed an hour and 44 minutes to undo his South African opponent.
The 28-year-old is drawn to play eighth seed, Kei Nishikori of Japan, in the quarter-final. Nishikori prevailed over Spaniard, Albert Ramos, in straight sets 7-6(2), 6-3 in the round of 16.
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