By Alberto Amalfi | Thursday, October 22, 2015

 

Top-seeded David Ferrer flogged Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-1, 6-1, to set up a Vienna quarterfinal against eighth-seeded Fabio Fognini.

Photo credit: Zolles/Erste Bank Open

What you don't know can hurt you. And sometimes what you do know can be even more damaging.

In an all-Spanish showdown, David Ferrer showed no mercy flogging Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-1, 6-1, to roll into the Vienna quarterfinals.

Video: Magical, Mystical Monfils Wows

The top-seeded Ferrer played like a man going places. He dropped just five points on first serve and needed a mere 62 minutes to send his friend packing for the seventh straight time.

In the process, Ferrer strengthened his shot at qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals for a seventh time.

Ferrer started the day holding a 945 point lead for the eighth spot in the season-ending event in London. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who is closest to Ferrer for the final spot in the Race to London, took a hit in his quest to qualify.

Lukas Rosol topped the fourth-seeded Tsonga, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

Fabio Fognini did not face a break point in a 6-1, 6-4 thrashing of Radek Stepanek.

The eighth-seeded Italian will face Ferrer for a spot in the semifinals. Ferrer is 7-0 lifetime versus Fognini, including a 6-2, 6-3 triumph in the Rio final earlier this season.

Steve Johnson withstood 24 aces from Jerzy Janowicz in a 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-4 triumph. Johnson hit 20 aces and won an eye-popping 53 of 57 points played on his first serve, including all 13 first-serve points in the final set. Johnson will play either second-seeded Kevin Anderson or Jiri Vesely next.