Valencia - Fourth seed Fernando Verdasco advanced to the second round of the Valencia Open on Wednesday after Spanish compatriot Oscar Hernandez retired with back trouble.
A dominant Verdasco was leading 6-1 0-1 when Hernandez called it a day.
World number eight Verdasco is one of six players at the Spanish indoor hardcourt tournament chasing the two remaining spots at the season-ending World Tour Finals in London.
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro and Andy Roddick have all qualified for the November 22-29 event and Valencia second seed Nikolay Davydenko and Verdasco currently occupy the remaining two places.
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Verdasco will play Janko Tipsarevic in the second round in Valencia after the Serb defeated Victor Hanescu 6-4 6-3.
Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's hopes of making the cut for London suffered a setback when a left wrist injury forced the third seed to retire from his first-round match. He was trailing Mikhail Youzhny 6-7 6-0 3-0.
Tsonga's compatriot Gilles Simon, who also eyeing place in the Tour Finals, battled past Czech Tomas Berdych in the second round 6-4 4-6 6-3.
Gael Monfils, another Frenchman, had his hopes of a place in London squashed by Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, the Spaniard winning 6-2 7-5.
On Thursday, top-seeded Briton Murray plays Leonardo Mayer of Argentina. - Reuters
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