Ferrer, Almagro post solid wins

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Defending champion David Ferrer was a straight-set winner Wednesday in the second round of the Heineken Open tennis tournament in New Zealand.

Ferrer, who is also seeded No. 1 in Auckland, defeated Lukas Rosol 6-4, 6-2 in an hour of play. Ferrer didn't face a break point -- losing just 14 points in nine service games -- and won three of the four break chances he had against Rosol.

Second-seeded Nicolas Almagro advanced by the same score in beating Santiago Giraldo. Almagro lost only six points in nine games serving.

No. 3-seeded Fernando Verdasco had a tougher time but still made the quarterfinals, getting past Carlos Berlocq 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) but Benoit Paire ousted fourth-seeded Juan Ignacio Chela 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 and Olivier Rochus was a 7-6 (8-6), 5-7, 7-6 (7-5) winner over No. 6-seeded Thomaz Bellucci. That match took 3 hours, 13 minutes.

Eighth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber edged past Ryan Harrison 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, Alejandro Falla beat Potito Starace 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez defeated Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-3.

Ferrer and Falla are paired in one quarterfinal Thursday with Verdasco playing Garcia-Lopez. Rochus goes against Paire and Almagro meets Kohlschreiber in the other matches.