ATP

• Ferrer, Almagro ease into Valencia quarters

  
  

  Valencia, Spain (Sports Network) - Spanish favorites David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro were among Thursday's second-round winners at the $585,000 Valencia Open.

  The top-seeded Ferrer blew past qualifier and fellow Spaniard Pablo Andujar 6-3, 6-4, while a fifth-seeded Almagro won his 12th straight match at this clay-court event by dismissing Argentine Eduardo Schwank 6-3, 6-4 at CT Valencia. Almagro is the two-time defending Valencia titlist, having beaten Italian Potito Starace in last year's finale. Ferrer was the runner-up here back in 2005.

  Meanwhile, second-seeded Argentine Juan Monaco handled Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-4, 6-4 and seventh-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco vaulted past German Mischa Zverev 6-4, 6-2.

  Two other second-rounders saw Russian Evgeny Korolev outlast Spanish wild card Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-7 (8-10), 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 and Dutchman Robin Haase overcome former top-ranked Russian star Marat Safin 2-6, 7-6 (11-9), 6-4. The two-time Grand Slam titlist Safin is now a dismal 3-7 this season after blowing three match points against the capable Haase. Korolev saved two match points before sneaking past Gimeno-Traver.

  Friday's quarterfinals will pit Ferrer against the 2004 Valencia champion Verdasco, Monaco versus Almagro, third-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo against an eighth-seeded Starace and Korolev versus Haase.

  This week's titlist will collect $93,000.

  04/17 16:19:19 ET