TOP seed David Ferrer survived a scare before beating local favourite Takao Suzuki 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the Japan Open quarter-finals in Tokyo.
Second seed Andy Roddick joined him in the last eight yesterday, the big-serving American overpowering the Austrian, Juergen Melzer, 7-6, 6-2 under floodlights.
Chasing a place at the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, world No 5 Ferrer w
as given a tough workout by a player ranked 588 places below him. "Takao surprised me," said the Spanish defending champion at the $969,000 tournament. "But once I broke in the second set I got more confidence and the third set was easier."
Suzuki, who came close to a shock win over Roger Federer in Tokyo two years ago, capitalised on Ferrer's early sluggishness to take the first set with a fizzing serve down the middle. Ferrer promptly stepped up a gear in the second and levelled the match with a kicking serve which Suzuki netted.
Ferrer glided through the decider, breaking twice before wrapping up proceedings with a blistering ace after an hour and 20 minutes. Ferrer takes on fifth seed Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarter-finals after the Argentine crushed Finnish 11th seed Jarkko Nieminen 6-1, 6-3.
The top four players in the world – Rafael Nadal, Federer, Novak Djokovic and Scotland's Andy Murray – have already qualified for next month's eight-man Shanghai shoot-out, and Roddick kept himself in the race for on one of the four remaining spots despite a nervy first set.
Roddick came through safely enough after his early bout of jitters. "I'm glad I didn't have to spend too much time on court," said the former US Open champion, who had complained of fatigue after winning his 26th career title in Beijing at the weekend.
"I felt a bit sluggish last night but I was a lot better today."
Roddick faces Serbian Viktor Troicki in the quarter-finals after Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired from their match with an abdominal strain having won the first set 7-5. Troicki was leading 2-1 in the second when Tsonga decided to stop.
The full article contains 370 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
