Soderling cruises into last eight in Stockholm

Top seed Robin Soderling grabbed another easy win in front of his home crowd on Thursday to reach the Stockholm Open quarter-finals with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Italian Andreas Seppi.

The Swedish world number 10, who demolished Ecuadorian Giovanni Lapentti in his opening match, faces Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the last eight where no other seeds remain.

German second seed Tommy Haas withdrew due to illness ahead of his match with Finn Jarkko Nieminen earlier in the day.

Spanish eighth seed Feliciano Lopez, winner over Soderling in Shanghai last week, was beaten 4-6 6-4 6-1 by Belgian Olivier Rochus who next faces Nieminen.

Soderling, who is chasing a spot in the season-ending Masters Cup in London, outclassed Seppi in the opening set but then suffered a lapse of concentration as he allowed the Italian to take a 3-0 lead in the second.

But the hard-hitting Soderling regained his composure and took all six of the ensuing games to clinch the match, continuing his bid for a Swedish double.

The 25-year-old could become the first player since his countryman Mats Wilander in 1983 to take both Swedish ATP events in one year, having won on clay in Bastad in July.

Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus showed continuing good form during his 6-2, 6-2 win over American doubles specialist Robert Kendrick.

Former top 10 player Baghdatis, who has dropped to 66th in the world, next faces Arnaud Clement after the Frenchman saved a match point to beat German Michael Berrer 3-6, 7-6, 6-1