Top seed Feliciano Lopez advanced to the quarter-finals of the ATP Swiss Open in Gstaad following a straight-set conquest of qualifier Jan Mertl.
The Spaniard looked clinical throughout – especially on his serve – to dominate the Czech journeyman en route a 7-6 6-4 triumph in the second round battle that lasted one hour and 41 minutes.
Lopez’s win was aided by 88 percent of his first-serve points, one break point conversion in both sets each, and eight double faults from his 306th-ranked opponent.
Moving on, the World No. 22 is scheduled to lock horns with 20-year-old Swede Elias Ymer, who rallied from the brink of defeat to oust Russia’s Konstantin Kravchuk, 2-6 7-6 7-5.
Elsewhere, another Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas, the No. 3 seed, also entered the last-eight stage after pulling off a 6-4 6-2 victory against French qualifier Tristan Lamasine, 6-4 6-2.
Ramos Vinolas, who bagged his maiden career title in Bastad last week, will meet another Frenchman in eighth-seeded Paul-Henri Mathieu, who beat Swiss contender Henri Laaksonen 6-1 6-4.
