London - Andy Murray reached the quarter-finals of the home Queen's club event, lifted by a partisan crowd in his 6-4, 6-4 victory of Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez Thursday.

The Scottish top seed, third in the world, began with three aces on his way into the last eight in just 69 minutes. Murray said that he felt better than in his opening match as he adjusts to the grass with just over a week to go before the start of Wimbledon.

"I felt good today," said the Scot. "He began well and was hitting big off the forehand. But when I got the break in the first set I stared to feel better.

"It's great to have the support of the whole crowd, that's not something you get so often. I expect a lot of myself and put on my own pressure."

Murray improved to 37-6 this season with three titles.

He will Friday face off in a quarter-final against American Mardy Fish, who reached the last eight at the expense of Feliciano Lopez 6-1, 6-4.

"It will be tough against Mardy," said Murray, who last met the eighth seed in 2006 on hardcourt, winning their last two matches after losing the first.

James Blake put aside the frustration of another modest clay-court season, continuing his fresh start on grass with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 defeat of countryman Sam Querrey.

Spanish veteran Juan Carlos Ferrero continued his solid tournament debut as he advanced over qualifier Xavier Malisse 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) to next take on Belgian Steve Darcis, who moved through as French fourth seed Gael Monfils announced a day earlier that could not play due to a wrist injury.

Blake said that now onto the grass, his game should surely pick up. "The way I feel right now, I can keep going and keep playing my kind of tennis," said the 29-year-old, who said he can be his toughest critic.

"I'm definitely someone who is pretty hard on myself. If I don't play well or certain things are not going right, I will maybe let it affect me and let the negative emotions get a part of me.

"There's always work to be done, I can always improve at that. I've heard the advice for my years now: just to give myself a break, just let it go, just relax. Hopefully I'm getting better at that, and I'm trying to be a little more relaxed out there."

Four-time champions Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt were lining up for a third-round match, whose start was delayed by a technical problem with the complicated software which runs the umpire's hand-held electronic scoring device.(dpa)