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Sports

Nadal moves on; Ferrer stunned on home soil

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

Barcelona, Spain (SportsNetwork.com) - Eight-time champion Rafael Nadal advanced, while four-time runner-up David Ferrer was a shocking loser Wednesday at the $2.55 million Barcelona Open tennis event.

The world No. 1 and reigning three-time titlist Nadal got past fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 on the red clay at Royal Barcelona Tennis Club.

"It was a positive victory for me," said Nadal. "Obviously I didn't play my best match, but after the defeat in Monte Carlo, the next match on court was never going to be easy."

Nadal, who was stunned by Ferrer in Monte Carlo last week, beat Nicolas Almagro in last year's third straight all-Spanish Barcelona finale. His third- round opponent on Thursday will be capable Croat Ivan Dodig.

Meanwhile, 55th-ranked Russian journeyman Teymuraz Gabashvili stunned the second-seeded Ferrer 6-4, 6-2 on Day 3.

"Three weeks ago I lost to Ferrer in Miami but I dominated that first set. Today, I wanted to maintain my energy and keep it going, which I did for (90) minutes, but any more and it might have been tougher to win," Gabashvili said after winning for the first time on his third try against Ferrer.

Ferrer lost to Nadal in Barcelona finals in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012.

More second-round upsets came when Santiago Giraldo defeated third-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini 6-0, 4-0, retired; Austrian left-hander Jurgen Melzer took out seventh-seeded Pole Jerzy Janowicz 6-4, 7-6 (7-1); Spaniard Albert Montanes doused eighth-seeded Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov 7-6 (7-5), 6-3; and Dodig drove out 13th-seeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-1, 6-4. Fognini gave way to a right leg injury.

A sixth-seeded Almagro avoided the upset bug by handling Slovak Martin Klizan 7-5, 7-6 (7-4), while 11th-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco cruised past Frenchman Kenny De Schepper 6-4, 6-3. The 2010 Barcelona champion Verdasco was a clay court titlist in Houston two weeks ago, when he beat Almagro in the final.

Almagro and Verdasco will clash once again on Thursday.

Another result saw 12th-seeded Croat Marin Cilic erase Russian qualifier Andrey Kuznetsov 6-1, 7-6 (7-2).

This week's winner will earn $580,000.