Coria crushes Ferrer

Youzhny, Schuettler also make Mercedes quarterfinals

Guillermo Coria avenged a loss to David Ferrer in their only previous meeting. AP

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) -- Guillermo Coria, at No. 2 the top-seeded player left in the field, cruised into the quarterfinals of the Mercedes Cup by beating David Ferrer 6-1, 6-1 on Thursday.

Coria raised his record on clay this year to 25-5. He reached the final in Monte Carlo, won the Hamburg Masters and then made the semifinals of the French Open.

Ferrer had beaten Coria in their only previous match, last year on clay in Umag, Croatia. But he was without a chance Thursday as Coria dominated with his fast-paced game.

Defending champion Mikhail Youzhny, seeded 12th, advanced to the quarterfinals by beating fifth-seeded Jiri Novak, last week's Swiss Open champion and conqueror of Wimbledon winner Roger Federer. Youzhny, still seeking his first title of the year, won 7-6(1), 6-4.

Third-seeded Rainer Schuettler, the Australian Open runner-up, edged No. 15 Alex Corretja 6-4, 6-4. Corretja was trying to break out of a slump. It was only the third time this year that he had advanced past the second round of a tournament.

Schuettler pounded an ace to set up three match points and converted the first with a service winner.

"I played a good match, I was a lot more aggressive," Schuettler said.

Tomas Behrend, who had ousted top-seeded Carlos Moya in the second round, kept up his progress, downing No. 13 Max Mirnyi 6-4, 6-4.

"Everything is working out just fine right now, it couldn't be any better," Behrend said.

Six-seeded Fernando Gonzalez overcame No. 11 Jarkko Nieminen 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 6-3 and No. 9 Tommy Robredo defeated qualifier Jiri Vanek 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3.

Another seeded player was upset when Feliciano Lopez rallied to beat No. 10 Younes El Aynaoui 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Filippo Volandri, who has jumped from No. 230 at the end of last year to No. 57 in the current Champions Race, scored his second upset victory when he beat 14th-seeded Nikolay Davydenko 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. In the second round, Volandri had ousted Wimbledon semifinalist and fourth-seeded Sebastien Grosjean.

In the quarterfinals, Coria plays Youzhny, Schuettler meets Lopez, Gonzalez faces Behrend and Volandri battles Robredo.

 

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