Aljaz Bedene struck 14 aces and lost just four of his first service points on Tuesday to knock out eighth seed Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 in one hour and 38 minutes at the Valencia Open. Chardy, who reached last year’s semi-finals, hit 10 aces, while Bedene next faces Vasek Pospisil.

Joao Sousa broke Gilles Muller four times in a 7-6(9), 6-3 win mid-afternoon, saving two set points at 6-7 and 8-9 in the first set tie-break.

No. 6-seeded Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez prevailed in the nightcap, outlasting compatriot Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in two hours and three minutes. Verdasco, 31, came into the match with a FedEx ATP Head2Head advantage of 6-1, but Garcia-Lopez has been the steadier of the two in 2015, winning titles in Zagreb and Bucharest.