Third seed Guillermo Coria kept up his superb clay form to reach the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters. The Argentine, who is unbeaten in 23 matches, beat Andrei Pavel 4-6 6-1 6-4.
In other action, German fourth seed Rainer Schuettler beat Australia's former world number one Lleyton Hewitt 6-4 3-6 6-4.
Spain's fifth seed Carlos Moya downed Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela 6-4 7-6, while Russia's Marat Safin defeated Australian Wayne Arthurs 6-4 6-2.
Russian Nikolay Davydenko also reached the last eight, seeing off Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic 6-2 6-2.
Argentine David Nalbandian cruised into a quarter-final match-up with Coria with a 6-3 6-2 win over Frenchman Fabrice Santoro.
Coria said: "I am very confident now. I feel strong when I get on the court and I have the state of mind of a winner, whoever I am playing."
Fourteenth seed Hewitt, who saved two match points against Gaston Gaudio of Argentina in the second round, came up short against Schuettler, who will now face Britain's Tim Henman.
"At the start of the third set, I probably lost a little sharpness," said Hewitt.
"I didn't have high hopes coming here but I'm getting used to the surface."
Safin, the 2000 US Open champion, will next play Spain's Alberto Martin, who beat Argentine Agustin Calleri 6-3 3-6 7-6.
"The tournament starts from now," said Safin.
MMIX
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