Almagro to battle Ferrer in Valencia Open semifinal

VALENCIA, Spain, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Nicolas Almagro won a quarterfinal match Friday at the Valencia Open in Spain that gives him a chance to end a career-long losing streak against David Ferrer.

Almagro, seeded third, topped No. 7-seeded Fabio Fognini 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 with a pair of breaks in each set. Almagro was good on only 43 percent of his first serves but still managed to take about two-thirds of the points when serving.

He goes against Ferrer, the world No. 3 and defending tournament champion, in an all-Spaniard semifinal Saturday. Ferrer is 13-0 lifetime versus Almagro.

Ferrer outlasted fifth-seeded Jerzy Janowicz for a 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 win earlier Friday. Ferrer saw only three break points on the day -- all in the second set. He cashed in the lone break of the first set and allowed Janowicz only seven points overall in the third set.

The other semifinal Saturday is an all-Russian affair with Dmitry Tursunov taking on Mikhail Youzhny. Youzhny owns a 2-1 edge in their series but they haven't played since 2010.

Tursunov gained a spot in the semis with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Jeremy Chardy. Tursunov saved all three break points he saw and finished off three of his own five opportunities.

Youzhny battled Jarkko Nieminen for nearly 2 1/2 hours before taking a 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 decision. Even with the lengthy match, Youzhny didn't drop serve and won 70 percent of the points on serve.