Spanish 14th seed Tommy Robredo (main photo) is through to the quarter finals of the Rome Masters after a shock 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 win against world number four, Nikolay Davydenko, yesterday.

Murcia's Nicolás Almagro also qualified after his opponent, Chile's Fernando González, pulled out with an injury to his right leg to set up a meeting with world number three, Novak Djokovic, who beat Ivo Karlovic 7-6, 6-3.

For his part, Robredo next faces Andy Roddick against whom he has never won in seven previous outings.

The man who knocked out Rafael Nadal, Valencia's Juan Carlos Ferrero, has not made it to the next round, however, after losing 4-6, 3-6 to the man responsible for Andy Murray's demise, Poland's Stanislas Wawrinka.

Fernando Verdasco did not make it either, losing 7-5, 5-7, 2-6 to America's James Blake.

Nadal falls to Ferrero at Rome Masters
By: thinkSPAIN
Thursday, May 8, 2008

Rafael Nadal suffered his first ever defeat at the Rome Masters yesterday, falling to compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5, 6-1 in the second round having won the competition for the three previous years.

After back-to-back wins in Miami, Monte Carlo and Barcelona, Nadal's early exit will give him time for some much-needed rest and recovery in a hectic clay-court schedule ahead of next week's Hamburg Masters, and the French Open that starts at the end of the month.

Suffering from a painful blister on the sole of his right foot that required treatment during the match, the world number two was never at his fluent best, admitting afterwards that his injured foot was so painful last night that he had considered not playing at all.

David Ferrer is also out, losing in three sets against the Czech Republic's Radek Stepanek, though compatriots Nicolás Almagro, Tommy Robredo and Fernando Verdasco have all reached the last sixteen after respective victories against Nalbandián (Arg), Mahut (Fra), and Lapentti (Ecu).