Tsonga into last eight

Barcelona - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga battled back to reach the quarter-finals of the Barcelona Open as he defeated Spaniard Nicolas Almagro for the third time this season with a 5-7 6-1 6-4 win on Thursday.

France's third-seed, playing the clay event for the first time, finds himself in a Friday surprise showdown with Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker, who upset 2001 winner and seventh seed Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-6 (7/2) 3-6 7-6 (7/4).

Tsonga has now beaten the 15th-seeded Almagro in all of their 2010 meetings, earning victories at the Australian Open - it went to 9-7 in the fifth set - and a week ago in straight sets at Monte Carlo.

The Frenchman now stands 17-7 on the season as he looks for his first-ever title on clay.

Tsonga was beaten on a late break of serve in the opening set by Almagro, one of eight Spanish players who began the third round in the Catalan capital.

But Tsonga imposed his big game for 5-0 in the second on the way back to level-pegging at a set apiece. The seed went up an early break in the third set to ice the victory, firing eight aces and breaking four times.

David Ferrer, losing finalist at the last two editions to the absent Rafael Nadal, booked his last-eight spot in 44 minutes when Simone Bolelli of Italy quit injured trailing 6-0 3-0.

The eighth-seeded Ferrer, a Top-10 player now standing 17th will next meet Brazilian 13th seed Thomas Bellucci, a winner over Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-4 6-4. Ferrer is appearing in a Barcelona quarter-final for the fourth year in a row.

Argentine Eduardo Schwank defeated Spaniard Ivan Navarro Pastor 6-3 7-6 (9/7).

Number two seed Robin Soderling was facing off against Spain's 16th seed Feliciano Lopez while fifth-seeded Monte Carlo finalist Fernando Verdasco was to face Jurgen Melzer of Austria.

Third Round Results (x denotes seeding):

David Ferrer (ESP x8) bt Simone Bolelli (ITA) 6-0 3-0 abandon
Thomaz Belluci (BRA x13) bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 6-4 6-4
Eduardo Schwank (ARG) bt Ivan Navarro (ESP) 6-3 7-6 (9/7)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x3) bt Nicolas Almagro (ESP x15) 5-7 6-1 6-4
Thiemo de Bakker (NED) bt Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP x7) 7-6 (7/2) 3-6 7-6 (7/4)