DAVID versus Goliath.

There was only ever going to be one winner. David Ferrer, Alicante's finest, standing just 5ft 9in tall, slayed the giant Argentine Juan Martin del Potro yesterday to book his first ever Wimbledon quarter final. His opponent on Centre Court for the occasion this afternoon will be Andy Murray, and anyone who witnessed this seemingly effortless 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 victory against the world No.9 should be under no illusions that he is also more than capable of cutting the Scot down to size.

In three of the last four years a Spaniard, Rafael Nadal, has knocked Murray out of this tournament. So it is rather appropriate that he must now overcome the man single-handedly attempting to uphold the Spanish national challenge after the Mallorcan's demise. The good news for the tournament is that matters were concluded within two hours, meaning it should at least be a fair match. The bad news for the Scot is that not only did the 30-year-old beat him at Roland Garros three weeks ago, he is playing the best tennis of his career. No-one has won more matches (46) or titles (4) on the tour in 2012 than Ferrer.

The head-to-head between the Scot and the Spaniard stands at five wins each, although they have never previously met on a grass court, let alone an indoor one. Ferrer is still the world No.5 and would need to win the Wimbledon title if he is to take his opponent's place, one spot up. But anyone who thinks he isn't a viable contender on this surface – the All England club moved him down to No.7 seed in light of his previous results here – clearly wasn't present yesterday. The man who won his second grass court title at Den Bosch a fortnight ago took five of his eight break points, made just eight unforced errors and absolutely lorded it over his Argentine opponent on the occasions he came to the net. He has dropped just one set at SW19 this year and said afterwards this was as good as any match he had played on the surface. He might not have the big serve, but he is one of the best returners in the game, he scurries around expertly in defence and his ground strokes are as consistent as a metronome.

Having said that, he was still happy to assume the role of underdog last night. "Every match is different," Ferrer said. "I played against him [Murray] two weeks ago in clay court, and now I will play with him on a grass court. It is very difficult to beat Andy on all surfaces, but on a grass court it is more difficult. He's the favourite because he's better than me, but I will try to do my best. I will have to play my best to beat him."

Ferrer said he didn't feel any further pressure as the sole remaining Spaniard in the draw and hoped the weight of expectation might work against the Scot. "For me it is not different," he said, "I am focusing only on the tournament. Of course I would prefer it if Rafael or another Spanish player was here with me because I am only with my team. Maybe he has more pressure than me because he plays at home in front of his people. Sometimes that isn't easy. But Andy is a very great player."

He was nonplussed about the reasons behind his annus mirabilis. "I don't know exactly," the Spaniard said. "I try every year to improve my game. I had very great years in 2010, 2011, and this year also. I am lucky because I don't have too many injuries." The Spaniard had come from two sets down to win against Del Potro in the deciding rubber of last year's Davis Cup final, but the Argentine's chances in this one were even more fleeting after he failed to convert four break points in the opening game.

"I served well and I played nice points, but he was too strong in the important moments," Del Potro said afterwards. "He is playing better than ever before. The top four guys are playing really well but Ferrer is in that group also. He could be very dangerous for the rest of the tournament."