Nicolas Almagro of Spain extended the defence of his Brazil Open tennis title to the quarter-finals by defeating Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 on Thursday.

Almagro, the top seed, didn’t allow a single break point to Hanescu in his victory at the Ibirapuera sporting complex. He had 12 aces and only one double fault in the second-round match which lasted more than two hours.

The 11th-ranked Almagro needed a wildcard to defend his title because he initially wasn’t certain if he would make the tournament because of his Davis Cup duties with Spain. He also won the Brazil Open in 2008.

Third-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain struggled against countryman Javier Marti but escaped with a 6-4 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 victory. Verdasco, a former world No.7 who was playing his first match since the Australian Open, had six double faults, including four in the final set.

Also, fifth-seeded Carlos Berlocq of Argentina defeated Italy’s Potito Starace 3-6 6-2 6-3, converting five of the 13 break points he had in the nearly two-hour match. Eighth-seeded Albert Ramos of Spain ousted big-serving Russian Igor Andreev 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-4).

Italian Filippo Volandri defeated Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo of Spain 6-4 1-6 6-3 in two hours, nine minutes.