Ferrer fights past plucky Mayer

Third seed David Ferrer saw off a spirited challenge from Florian Mayer to advance to the last eight at the Australian Open. Spaniard Ferrer clambered back from a set down to beat Germany's Mayer 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 6-2 6-1. Ferrer struck 64 winners to Mayer's 33, and overcame a big lapse in the second set, where he coughed up a 4-0 lead to see his opponent square the ledger at 5-5. But Ferrer would go on to lose just three of the next 17 games, as he stormed into a quarter-final spot against Tomas Berdych. Mayer will probably rue his inefficiency on his break-point chances, as he converted just three of 11, while Ferrer took nine of 19 opportunities to break. Ferrer has now reached the quarter-finals of in his last nine major tournaments and the Spaniard is delighted with the progress he has made. He said: "I am proud for that. The last four or five years, I’ve played very good in the Grand Slams. I maintain a Top 10 (ranking). So I'm very happy for that." The world number three found the conditions challenging, but reflected on a job well done. "In the second set, I played better. I started really good. It was not easy in one side of the court because it was windy." he added.