Coello and Tapia put their Malaga title defence on the line against surprise pair Alonso and Goni

Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia play their Malaga P1 quarterfinal on Friday afternoon, and the pair waiting for them, Edu Alonso and Aimar Goni, have been the week's biggest men's story.

The surprise pair

Alonso and Goni are seeded 11th here, but they play like nothing to lose. In the round of 16 they knocked out fifth seeds Coki Nieto and Jon Sanz 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, digging out the decider after letting the second set slip. It's the kind of run that turns a quiet week into a breakout one, and it earns them a shot at the world's best pair.

The champions' route

Coello and Tapia, the top seeds and defending Malaga champions, have not dropped a set. They beat Tolito Aguirre and Alex Arroyo 6-4, 6-4 to reach the last eight, holding serve and picking their moments. They arrived in Malaga on a strong run and still lead the season Race.

What's at stake

The two teams have met once before this year. In Buenos Aires, Coello and Tapia came through 6-3, 6-3, so Alonso and Goni know the size of the task. For the favourites, this is about staying on schedule for another final. For the underdogs, even a set would count as a marker. The quarterfinal is scheduled not before 2 pm local time.