Ferrer, Gonzalez To Face Off In Buenos Aires

© Copa Claro / Sergio LlameraStanislas Wawrinka will look to reach the Buenos Aires semi-finals for a second straight year.

Top seed David Ferrer defeated Argentine Facundo Bagnis 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Copa Claro, and will face Fernando Gonzalez next after the Chilean continued his farewell tour with a 7-6(6), 7-6(5) victory over Spaniard Albert Ramos on Wednesday in Buenos Aires.

World No. 5 Ferrer, a finalist on his last visit to this ATP World Tour 250 tournament in 2010 (l. to Ferrero), converted on four of his 11 break points to notch his 10th match win of the season. "It was a tough match and Bagnis made things difficult for me," he said. "He missed in the key points and I took my chances. The crowd cheered me up even though I was facing a local player."

Ferrer has now reached the quarter-finals in his three tournament appearances this season. He successfully defended his title in Auckland (d. Rochus) and was a quarter-finalist at the Australian Open (l. to Djokovic).

Gonzalez, who has announced that he will retire following next month's Sony Ericsson Open, is through to his first quarter-final since 2010 at Houston. Gonzalez and Ramos each saved all three breaks faced on serve during their second-round match.

"I played a great match and it's great to get another chance to go out and play," said the 31 year old. "I'm really happy with my tennis and it proves that my decision (retirement) isn't because of my level but only because of a personal choice."

The former World No. 5 holds a 5-4 edge over Ferrer in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head, and anticipated a challenging match against the Spaniard. "He's a great player. I've played against him a lot of times and it's going to be tough, especially on this court where he feels so good."

Sixth seed Stanislas Wawrinka advanced to his second quarter-final of 2012 with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Frenchman Benoit Paire. Wawrinka countered losing his serve three times by breaking the 98th-ranked Paire five times from nine opportunities. He had also defeated Paire last month at the Australian Open.

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The 26-year-old Swiss will attempt to reach the Buenos Aires semi-finals for a second straight year when he next meets No. 4 seed Kei Nishikori of Japan, who rallied to defeat Romanian Victor Hanescu 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 in two hours and 13 minutes.

Nishikori is making his first main draw appearance since the Australian Open, where he became the first Japanese man in the Open Era to reach the quarter-finals (l. to Murray). He entered the week at a career-high No. 17 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings.

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