Rafael Nadal and defending champion David Ferrer have progressed to the quarterfinals of the Rio Open, the third clay-court tournament in the month-long swing around Latin America.
Nadal and Ferrer – the top two seeded players – both beat fellow Spaniards to reach the last eight.
Ferrer defeated Albert Ramos-Vinolas 4-6 6-1 6-4 while Nadal defeated Nicolas Almagro 6-3 7-5.
Nadal will face Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine, while Ferrer meets young Austrian Dominic Thiem in the last eight, a match up of one of the most consistent players on clay against a 22-year-old viewed as a star of the next generation.
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Thiem defeated Nadal last week in the semi-finals in Buenos Aires en route to winning there.
“I like his game and tomorrow is going to be tough I know. I’ll have to play my best tennis for a win,” Ferrer said of Thiem.
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