With the quarterfinals of the Qatar Exxon Mobil Open kicking off today, two German players powered through stiff competition to make it in, eliminating World Number Three David Ferrer and World Number Four Andy Murray.

Murray, who won two past tournaments, fell to Florian Mayer yesterday in a three-set match 3 6, 6 4, 6 2.

Mayer who is ranked 40th in the world was down a set and 0-3 in the second set, when he completely changed his game plan. “I just played a little bit more aggressive, stayed a little bit closer to the line, went for the winners a little earlier. Yeah, today it worked out,” he said in his post-match press conference.

Ferrer, meanwhile, lost to Daniel Brands in a tight two-set match 6-4, 7-5.

Nadal survives

World number one Rafael Nadal had to fight through his match against another German, Tobias Kamke, to win in three sets 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.

“He did almost everything well, in my opinion,” Nadal said about his opponent’s performance in the post-game press conference. “He played great with forehand, played great with the backhand. He (hit) fantastic shots from very difficult positions.”

Quarterfinals will take place today from 3:30pm, with the following match-ups: Dustin Browns vs. Peter Gojowczyk, Victor Hanescu vs. Florian Mayer, Rafael Nadal vs. Ernests Gulbis, Gael Monfils vs. Daniel Brands.

Who’s been watching the tournament? Thoughts?