Nadal, Ferrer reach French quarters

Published February 05, 2015

Paris, France (SportsNetwork.com) - Eight-time champion Rafael Nadal and last year's runner-up David Ferrer were a pair of fourth-round winners Monday at the French Open.

The world No. 1 Nadal improved to a remarkable 63-1 lifetime at Roland Garros by crushing Serb Dusan Lajovic 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 on Court Chatrier. The lopsided affair saw the ruthless Spanish great assume set leads of 5-0, 4-0 and 5-0 on Day 9 of the clay court fortnight.

The 13-time major champion Nadal is trying to become the first man to capture five straight French Open championships.

The fifth-seeded Ferrer, meanwhile, had a hiccup in the fourth set in an otherwise routine 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1 victory over 19th-seeded former University of Illinois standout Kevin Anderson of South Africa.

Ferrer will now appear in his 10th straight Grand Slam quarterfinal. He reached his first and only Grand Slam final here a year ago before getting whipped by his fellow countryman Nadal in an all-Spanish title tilt. The two will meet in a rematch of that match in a quarterfinal here on Wednesday.

Nadal, who will turn 28 on Tuesday, is 21-6 lifetime against the 32-year-old Ferrer, including 3-0 at Roland Garros. Ferrer, however, upset Nadal on clay in Monte Carlo back in April.

"I look forward to playing against David (Ferrer), it is going to be a very difficult match," said Nadal.

Also on Monday, seventh-seeded Wimbledon champ Andy Murray will take on 24th- seeded Spanish left-hander Fernando Verdasco and 23rd-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils will encounter surprising Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/nadal-ferrer-reach-french-quarters