Ferrer beats Davydenko in Valencia quarters

The defending champion used a combination of speed and deep ground strokes to force Davydenko into costly errors throughout.Ferrer won the first set as Davydenko struggled with his serve early, committing four double faults and repeatedly volleying long.Ferrer broke the former world No. 3 in the fifth game of the second set before saving a late break point to ensure the victory on the indoor hard court.Ferrer will face the winner of the quarterfinal between Juan Carlos Ferrero and Juan Monaco in Fridays late match.Earlier, Spaniard Marcel Granollers beat third-seeded Gael Monfils 7-6 (12), 3-6, 6-4 and will play sixth seed Juan Martin del Potro in the other semifinal.Granollers, last years runner-up to Ferrer, saved four set points in the first-set tiebreaker.Monfils rallied to claim the second set, but Granollers took the match in two hours and 26 minutes when the Frenchman struggled with his serve late and sent his final forehand wide.Monfils early exit means he will have to win the Paris Masters to have a shot at qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals.Del Potro increased his chances of making the season-ending event in London by beating Sam Querrey of the United States 6-2, 7-5. The five players ahead of Del Potro dueling for the final three places have either lost or withdrawn from their matches this week.Del Potro dominated the first set and broke Querrey late in the second before winning the last game to love with his seventh ace of the match.