Flashy Spaniard
Fernando Verdasco cruised into the quarterfinals on the dirt in Palermo Thursday with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Czech
Jan Hajek.
Verdasco next will face No. 8 seed and countryman
Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo, who also posted a 6-2, 6-2 scoreline in his win over Italian wildcard Gianluca Naso.
Also in the top half of the draw, No. 3
Gilles Simon of France ousted Argentine
Mariano Zabaleta 7-5, 6-3. He'll next battle Ecuadorian
Nicolas Lapentti, a 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(4) victor over Italian wildcard
Fabio Fognini.
Second-seeded Italian
Filippo Volandri scrambled for a 6-7(8), 6-1, 6-4 win over Argentine
Sergio Roitman. He next will face Spaniard
Albert Montanes, who crushed Italian
Potito Starace 6-2, 6-2, in a match pushed back a day by rain.
Fourth seed Spaniard
Nicolas Almagro crushed Czech qualifier and doubles specialist Frantisek Cermak 6-1, 6-2. Almagro awaits Argentine
Martin Vassallo Arguello, a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 winner over Spanish lucky loser
Oscar Hernandez.
