David Ferrer has earned a place in the quarter-finals of the Miami Open by beating Gilles Simon 7-6(5) 6-0 in Florida.

It was a disastrous start to the match for Ferrer as he watched Simon break in the opening game, but it would be just the first of a number of dramatic twists in the first set.

Poor serving from both players produced a run of four successive breaks midway through the opener, before Simon struck again with a couple of powerful winners to get back on serve in the 10th game.

A lack of serving quality carried into the tie-break, but it was Ferrer who eventually held his nerve to triumph 7-5.

After a gripping opener, the second set was far more comfortable for Ferrer, who punished a below-par Simon with three breaks as the Frenchman's challenge quickly faded.

Ferrer refused to take a step backwards with his aggressive approach, and he wrapped up the victory in comfortable fashion to continue his bid for a fourth title of the year.