NEW YORK, (Reuters) – David Ferrer battled his way into the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open yesterday with a hard-fought 7-6(2) 3-6 7-5 7-6(3) win over Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic.
Ferrer, seeded fourth, retained his composure after dropping the second set to win a gruelling slugfest that took nearly four hours to complete after being moved to one of the smaller showcourts because of a lengthy rain delay.
The tenacious Ferrer became the second Spaniard to reach the men’s quarter-finals yesterday, joining Tommy Robredo who had upset former world number one Roger Federer.
Another Spaniard, Rafa Nadal, was also playing yesterday, in the night session.
Ferrer’s next opponent will be either French eighth seed Richard Gasquet or Canada’s Milos Raonic.
Although Ferrer has not won a grand slam, the 31-year-old baseliner has proven himself to be one of the most consistent players on tour.
He has reached the quarter-finals or better at each of the last eight majors and was a finalist at the French Open in June.