Barcelona, Spain (SportsNetwork.com) - Eight-time champion Rafael Nadal and four-time runner-up David Ferrer moved on, while fourth seed Marin Cilic was sent packing in second-round action Wednesday at the $2.1 million Barcelona Open tennis event.
The second-seeded former world No. 1 Nadal whipped fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-1 in a rematch of the 2013 Barcelona finale, which was also won by the nine-time French Open king on the red clay at Real Club de Tenis Barcelona.
Nadal broke Almagro in the seventh game to seal the first set, at which point there was a pause in proceedings while a visiting British fan was taped live courtside and on Spanish television proposing to his girlfriend -- who said 'yes'.
Nadal improved to 12-1 versus Almagro, including 3-1 in Barcelona. Almagro upset Nadal in the quarterfinals here a year ago.
The 28-year-old Nadal is now 43-2 lifetime at this tournament.
Meanwhile, a third-seeded Ferrer cruised past wild card fellow Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-2, 6-3 and the U.S. Open champion Cilic succumbed to late-blooming 34-year-old Dominican Victor Estrella Burgos 6-4, 6-4 on Day 3.
In other action involving top-10 seeds, No. 5 Feliciano Lopez of Spain got past Turkey's Marsel Ilhan 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), Spaniard Marcel Granollers ousted No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 6-4, 6-2 and Frenchman Benoit Paire dismissed struggling No. 8 Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Also in the second round, Spaniard Pablo Andujar tackled 11th-seeded Argentine Leonardo Mayer 2-6, 6-1, 6-2; 12th-seeded German Philipp Kohlschreiber doused Russian Andrey Kuznetsov 7-6 (7-1), 6-3; 13th-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini snuck past Russian qualifier Andrey Rublev 3-6, 6-4, 6-1; 14th-seeded Slovak Martin Klizan drubbed Argentine Juan Monaco 5-7, 6-0, 6-3; 15th-seeded Colombian Santiago Giraldo bested Portuguese Joao Sousa 6-3, 3-6, 6-1; and Swedish wild card Elias Ymer took out 16th-seeded Aussie Nick Kyrgios 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (9-7). Santiago was last year's Barcelona runner-up to Japanese star Kei Nishikori and the two men will meet in a rematch here on Thursday.
Also in the third round on Thursday, Nadal will meet Fognini and Ferrer will take on Ymer.
This week's champion will collect $495,000.
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