ACAPULCO, Mexico, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Defending champion Carlos Moya did not have it easy in the second round but managed to prevail in three sets Wednesday over Brazilian lucky loser Ricardo Mello at the Mexican Open.
On the women's side, three seeds were eliminated, including No. 1 Elena Dementieva of Russia.
The top-seeded Moya rallied to reach the quarterfinals with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory in his first meeting with Mello. The 26-year-old Spaniard is coming off his first title of the year at last week Buenos Aires.
Moya's next match will be against fellow countryman Felix Mantilla, who continued his hex over Spaniard Fernando Vicente, 6-3, 6-4. Mantilla has never lost to Vicente in five career meetings.
While Moya advanced, No. 2 David Nalbadian of Argentina was not as fortunate. The 2002 Wimbledown finalist was shut out after winning a tiebreaker as he fell, 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, 6-0 to countryman Mariano Zabaleta.
Third-seeded Gaston Gaudio of Argentina lost a pair of tiebreakers and fell to unseeded compatriot Agustin Calleri for the fourth straight time, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (5-7).
Fourth-seeded Fernando Gonzalez of Chile appears to have recovered from an eye injury suffered in Buenos Aires as he advanced with a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5) victory over Sargis Sargsian of Armenia.
In the final eight, Gonzalez faces Brazilian wild card entry and sixth seed Gustavo Kuerten, who battled past David Ferrer, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2. Kuerten, who started 2003 with a title in Auckland and lost to Moya in last week's final, won this event in 2001.
No. 7 Marcelo Rios of Chile rolled to an easy 6-3, 6-1 win over lucky loser Juan Antonio Marin of Costa Rica to set up a quarterfinal against Calleri.
In a battle of Peruvians, qualifier Ivan Miranda overcame Luis Horna, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, and will take on Zabaleta in the next match.
After a first-round bye, Dementieva could not get past unheralded Shinobu Asagoe of Japan, 7-5, 3-6, 3-6.
In other second-round contests, No. 7 Emilie Loit of France prevailed against Marta Marrero of Spain 4-6, 6-3, 6-3; Spain's Cristina Torrens Valero defeated No. 8 Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (10-8); and Flavia Pennetta of Italy was a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 winner over Patricia Wartusch of Austria.
Torrens Valeros will meet Asagoe in the quarterfinals.
In one of four first-round matches, third-seeded Paola Suarez of Argentina was forced to withdraw with a right rib sprain while trailing countrywoman Mariana Diaz-Oliva, 5-2.
No. 4 Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia beat Colombian Fabiola Zuluaga, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4); Anabel Medina Garrigues rolled past Angelika Roesch of Germany, 6-4, 6-1; and German Martina Muller rallied for a 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Asa Svensson of Sweden.
In the second round, Srebotnik squares off against Petra Mandula of Hungary, Medina Garrigues plays Czech qualifier Alena Vaskova and Muller meets Diaz-Oliva.
