Almagro, Troicki, Tipsarevic Reach QFs

© Malaysian OpenViktor Troicki improved to a 35-20 match record on the season.

Three potential Barclays ATP World Tour Finals qualifiers advanced to the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur 2011 quarter-finals on Thursday.

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Top seed Nicolas Almagro, currently No. 9 in the South African Airways 2011 ATP Year-To-Date Ranking and just 70 points behind No. 8-ranked Tomas Berdych, booked his place in the quarter-finals with a 7-6(2), 7-6(4) win over fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos in one hour and 44 minutes.

Almagro is bidding to secure a place in his sixth ATP World Tour final this year. He has already lifted clay-court trophies at Brasil Open in Costa Do Sauipe (d. Dolgopolov), the Copa Claro in Buenos Aires (d. Chela) and the Open de Nice Côte d’Azur (d. Hanescu). He has a 46-18 match record on the season. Almagro will next face eighth-seeded Japanese star Kei Nishikori, who overcame Philipp Petzschner of Germany 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in two hours and 20 minutes.

Earlier in the day, Serbian Viktor Troicki, currently No. 17 in the year-to-date ranking with 1,550 points, who is also hoping to qualify for the elite season finale for the first time, broke a four-match losing streak. Troicki saved all three break points he faced to knock out Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-1, 6-4 in 79 minutes.

"The first set I played pretty good, controlling that part of the match," said Troicki, who improved to a 35-20 match record on the season. "The second set was pretty equal. I was just a bit more focused at the end to make a break to win the match. I'm happy to be in the quarter-finals. I had lost to him in a strange match last year, so I knew I had to play more offensive and take my chances when they came."

Third seed Janko Tipsarevic, who is No. 13 in the Battle for London qualification, proved to be too strong for Italian Flavio Cipolla in a 6-2, 6-4 win over one hour and 35 minutes. Tipsarevic dropped just 12 points on serve and will next play fifth seed and 2009 titlist Nikolay Davydenko.

Davydenko battled hard to defeat Poland's Lukasz Kubot 6-3, 7-6(2) in one hour and 26 minutes. It was the pair's first meeting since January 2006 at the Australian Open. "At 5-2 down in the second set, I was already thinking about the third set," said Davydenko. "I was just fighting for the points and was able to come back and win it in two sets. Sometimes it happens that way."

World No. 36 Davydenko is looking to capture his 22nd ATP World Tour title this week and second of 2011, after lifting silverware at the BMW Open in Munich (d. F. Mayer). He has a 22-20 mark on the year.