Davydenko storms through to Paris last eight

PARIS, Nov 2 (Reuters) Nikolay Davydenko stormed through to the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters with a 6-2 6-2 third-round win over fellow Russian Dmitry Tursunov today.

World number five Davydenko, the fourth seed and the highest-ranked player in the indoor event after a string of no-shows, recorded his third win in as many meetings with Tursunov, seeded 15th.

Davydenko, who has already secured a berth at the season-ending Masters Cup later this month in Shanghai, will next face Croatia's Mario Ancic or Frenchman Julien Benneteau.

''I'm playing really well and feeling confident but the next match could be tough,'' he said.

The 25-year-old Russian, who had humiliated Belgian Christophe Rochus 6-0 6-0 in the previous round, has a busy schedule ahead with not only the Masters Cup but also the Davis Cup final between Russia and Argentina in December.

Defending champion Tomas Berdych, seeded eighth, also advanced easily, beating American Robby Ginepri 6-3 6-3.

The 21-year-old Czech won the tournament on his first appearance at the Bercy hall last year.

''To have never lost a match here is a nice feeling,'' he said.

''Let's hope it continues''.

German Tommy Haas, seeded 10th, kept alive his slim hopes of making the Masters Cup when he knocked out American seventh seed James Blake 6-4 6-2.

REUTERS AY BD2118