STOCKHOLM: Top seed David Nalbandian marched into the Stockholm Open quarter-finals with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Swede Joachim Johansson on Thursday. Former world top-10 player Johansson, just back from retirement, struggled to cope with the steady baseline play of his Argentine opponent.

“I played good even though may be I didn’t return as well in the first set as I did in the second,” said Nalbandian who next plays Spaniard Albert Montanes. I feel great indoors and I feel strong again. There were so many injuries in the beginning of the year,” the world number seven told reporters.

Nalbandian capitalised on his first break point to open a 5-3 lead in the opening set. He then broke to love to capture a 4-2 advantage in the second before going on to break serve again.Earlier, Kei Nishikori scraped past Slovak Dominik Hrbaty 6-1, 1-6, 7-5 to clinch a meeting with second seed Mario Ancic of Croatia who put out Belgian Steve Darcis 7-6, 6-4. Hrbaty, leading 5-4 in the third set, came within two points of victory before the Japanese player reeled off the last three games.