Andy Murray furthered his chances of claiming the world number two spot with a straight sets win over Juan Carlos Ferrero at the Rogers Cup in Montreal.
The British player booked his place in the quarter-finals as he comfortably dispatched the Spaniard in a little over an hour and a quarter, claiming a 6-1 6-3 win. Murray broke Ferrero in his opening service game and again in the sixth, before rounding off the set with a thudding ace. Ferrero’s hopes receded with another early break at the start of the second set, as Murray converted his second break point chance. The British number one, in his first appearance since his semifinal defeat at Wimbledon, made short work of his opponent to set up a last-eight encounter with Nikolay Davydenko, who defeated Fernando Gonzalez in three sets 7-6 (7-2) 7-5. Murray could become the world number two if he manages to win the Montreal Masters, an event that is traditionally a key warm-up for the U.S. Open which starts on 31 August. Defending Montreal champion Rafael Nadal — playing his first singles tournament since a long lay off with a knee injury — joined the Brit in the quarters with a 6-3 6-2 win over Germany’s Philipp Petzschner in his first full match since the French Open.
Don’t Miss
Tennis: Nadal happy to be back on court
Nadal returns with doubles success
Roddick beats Murray in epic semi
Roger Federer had a comfortable passage to the quarters with a victory over Stanislas Wawrinka. In his first event since securing a record 15th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon last month, the world number one won 6-3 7-6 against Wawrinka, his Olympic doubles partner. Federer will face France’s seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the next stage. He is joined in the last eight by Serb Novak Djokovic. The world number four secured his place earlier in the day with a straight sets win over Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny. “I’ve had two good wins and I knew it would be tough but I played well,” Murray told reporters after the contest. “This is my best surface. I can swing more freely at the ball as it sits up at a nice height. I felt confident today. I’m hitting the ball really well from the back of the court.”
