Qatar Open - - Roger Federer And Rafael Nadal Cruises into Quater Finals

Doha, Qatar - World No. 1 superstar Roger Federer and former top-ranked stalwart Rafael Nadal were among Wednesday's second-round victors at the season-opening Qatar Open, an Australian Open tune-up.

The two-time Doha titlist Federer handled Kazakhstan's Evgeny Korolev 6-2, 6-4, while the reigning Aussie Open champion Nadal whipped Italian Potito Starace 6-2, 6-2 on the hardcourts at Khalifa Tennis Complex.

Federer's quarterfinal opponent on Thursday will be capable Latvian Ernests Gulbis, while Nadal, who is seeking his first ATP World Tour title since May of last year, will take on Belgian qualifier Steve Darcis.

The reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion Federer titled back-to- back here in Doha in 2005 and 2006.

Meanwhile, last year's surprise ATP World Tour Finals champion Nikolay Davdyenko, seeded third this week, continued his winning ways with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Swiss Marco Chiudinelli.

Up next for the Russian world No. 6 Davydenko will be seventh-seeded Croatian slugger Ivo Karlovic, who swatted 20 aces before overcoming German qualifier Benjamin Becker 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Day 3.

Thursday's other quarterfinal will pit fifth-seeded Serb Viktor Troicki against Poland's Lukasz Kubot. Troicki trounced Belgian Olivier Rochus 6-2, 6-2, while Kubot topped Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-2, 7-6 (7-5).

In other second-round play, Gulbis bested Italian Andreas Seppi 6-4, 7-5 and Darcis drubbed 38-year-old Moroccan Younes El Aynaoui 6-3, 6-1. The former Top-20 performer El Aynaoui captured this Doha tournament in 2002 and was the runner-up here in 1996. On Tuesday, the wild card El Aynaoui became the oldest man to win an ATP match since Jimmy Connors won one in Germany back in 1995.

The winner of this $1.11 million event will take home $185,850.