Cincinnati: Roger Federer and Andy Murray moved towards a possible semi-final showdown at the Cincinnati Masters after contrasting third-round victories on Thursday.
The Swiss world No. 1 had to come from 3-1 down in the final set to beat Spaniard David Ferrer 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, while number two Murray joined him in the quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-1 hammering of Czech Radek Stepanek.
Fourth-ranked Serb Novak Djokovic booked his place in the last eight with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Jeremy Chardy of France while Spain's former world No. 1 Rafael Nadal was due on court in the late match against Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu.
Ferrer had won just one set in eight previous meetings with Federer but it was the top seed whose game was all over the place early on.
A blustery wind caused both players trouble but after trading early breaks world No. 19 Ferrer broke again in the eighth game and served out for the opening set.
Federer pulled himself together in the second set to level the match but a real surprise looked possible when he was broken and trailed 3-1 in the decider.
He broke back immediately and from that point on there was only going to be one winner, with a beautiful backhand topspin lob sealing the vital break in the eighth game.
Great match
"I didn't think I was going to (turn it around) because I thought David was playing a great match," Federer said.
"I think at the beginning maybe my footwork was just a touch off. After that I think I got it together and started to play better and better."
In the quarter-finals, Federer will play another former world number one Lleyton Hewitt after the Australian saw off American Sam Querrey 6-1, 2-6, 6-3.
Murray was on top of his game as he destroyed the hopes of world No. 17 Stepanek in just 76 minutes.
The Czech recovered from 5-2 down to get back on serve at 5-4 but Murray broke again to win the set thanks to a stunning top-spin lob on the run, before blitzing through the second.
"I started the match very well, serving well and not giving him any chances," Murray said. "Then the wind picked up at the end of the first set and he managed to break me.
"But I played a good game to break back. Had a couple of good returns and obviously a lob to finish with was nice.
"After that, I started to feel a lot better but it was tough conditions, very, very windy."
Murray will play Julien Benneteau in the last eight after the Frenchman became only the third lucky loser to reach the quarter-finals of a tournament in the open era, beating Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 4-6, 6-4, 7-6.
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Sharapova and Jankovic thunder into quarters
Russian Maria Sharapova and Serbia's Jelena Jankovic waited for a deadly storm to pass before thundering into the Toronto Cup quarter-finals on Thursday.
Sharapova, working her way back to form after nine months away with a shoulder surgery, was first onto a centre court that hours earlier had been evacuated, booking her spot in the last eight with a 6-2, 7-6 win over seventh seed Vera Zvonareva.
With the clock ticking past midnight, fifth seed Jankovic mopped up a wild night battling to a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Belgian Kim Clijsters, playing just her second event since having a baby and coming out of her two-year retirement.
The start of the evening session was delayed by an hour as the last of severe weather that set off multiple tornadoes within a few miles of the Rexall Tennis Centre roared across Toronto.
The violent storms, which were being blamed for at least one death, forced an evacuation of the stadium with spectators taking shelter in the basement and the VIP lounges.
"I've had a lot of rain delays but probably none because of a tornado," Sharapova told reporters. "I know there were tornado warnings but I didn't hear much because I was in the players' locker room and we're around cement and that was good."
Sharapova will now play Polish 14th seed Agnieszka Radwanska, who advanced with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko.
Jankovic, winner last week in Cincinnati, will take on 36th-ranked Russian Alisa Kleybanova, who beat France's Aravane Rezai 6-3, 6-4.
Serena storm
World No. 2 Serena Williams avoided all the nasty weather, racing into the quarter-finals with a 6-1, 6-4 demolition of Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko before the storms hit.
Serena needed only 64 minutes on a blustery centre court to dispose of the world number 33 and restore a bit of family honour after the Ukrainian's sister Kateryna had knocked out older sibling Venus in the second round.
Back on centre court just 15 hours after a second round victory over Yaroslava Shvedova, the Wimbledon and Australian Open champion charged to a 5-0 lead on her way to taking the opening set.
The American next plays Czech qualifier Lucie Safarova, who progressed with a 7-6, 6-4 win over China's Zheng Jie.
"I was trying to be perfect and just couldn't get my serve in. I got frustrated," said Serena, who lost three straight games in a momentary second set wobble.
"I thought I played pretty well yesterday. I was a little disappointed in myself today after playing so well."
Fourth seed Elena Dementieva booked her spot in the last eight with a ragged 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 win over Israel's Shahar Peer.
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