Buenos Aires, Argentina: Top-seeded David Ferrer defeated fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos 6-1, 6-2 on Friday to reach the semifinals of the Copa Claro tournament in the Argentine capital.
Ferrer, the two-time defending champion in Buenos Aires, is hoping to win his 21st ATP tournament.
Second-seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy and No. 3 Tommy Robredo of Spain are also into the semifinals, and they'll face each other on Saturday.
Fognini, who won the ATP event last week in Chile, advanced Friday by defeating Pablo Andujar of Spain 6-4, 6-3.
Robredo advanced against Robin Haase of the Netherlands. Robredo won the first set 6-1, and Haase retired with an injury after falling behind 2-0 in the second set.
No. 1 Rafael Nadal pulled out of the tournament with a back injury, but will play next week in the Rio Open in Rio de Janeiro.
