RIO DE JANEIRO - Rafael Nadal showed no problem with his tender back in his second match since returning from the injury, defeating fellow Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-1, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the Rio Open on Thursday. The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. A year ago he used the Latin American swing to test his recovery from an injured left knee. Nadal seemed to move freely against Montanes and wore a large, blue elastic bandage on his lower back as a precaution. "The back, well, its bothering me a little," Nadal said. "Right now its not hurting my game, but Im serving a little more gently than Im used to doing." Nadal said he pushed his recovery "a little bit" to play in Rio, after pulling out of the tournament the week before in Buenos Aires. "I am here and very happy being here," he said. "When you get an injury in the final of a Grand Slam, and you stop (playing/practicing) for 2 1/2 weeks, the comeback is not easy." Asked if nagging injuries might force an early retirement, the 27-year-old joked a bit before getting serious. "I cant predict the future, but my intention is to play many years," he said. In the other key mens match, third-seeded Fabio Fognini reached the last eight beating Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-3. Second-seeded David Ferrer advanced on Wednesday. Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine advanced to his second quarterfinals of the year, beating Facundo Bagnis of Argentina 6-7 (4), 6-2, 7-6 (4). Dolgopolov said he hadnt considered leaving the tournament to return to his Kyiv birthplace, where more than 100 people have died in anti-government protests this week. Government snipers killed at least 70 on Thursday. "Its sad. I cant do much, but just support," he said. "Whoever is right doesnt matter now when people are dying." Dolgopolov, who lives in the wealthy European enclave of Monte Carlo, said he was lucky to have the chance to make money playing tennis. "Obviously I would like the people in the (Ukraine) to feel better. If I could, I would change that," he said. On the womens side of the combined ATP-WTA event, fifth-seeded Kurumi Nara of Japan and Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain set up a quarterfinal matchup after second-round wins. Nara defeated Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany 6-0, 7-6 (3), and was in sight of her first WTA semifinals. Dominguez Lino beat Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-1. Nara said she likes the hot weather in Rio and is getting used to the clay. "Now I like the clay court," she said. "Last year, I didnt like it." Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania also made the last eight, as did Brazils Teliana Pereira. 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Tyrell appeared in seven games with the Lightning this year, he had no points in those appearances. The 24-year-old has seven goals and 17 assists in 132 career NHL games, all coming with the Lightning. He was selected in the second round, 47th overall, of the 2007 draft.Former Rangers owner Craig Whyte is now the only person currently facing charges over the alleged fraudulent acquisition of the club after charges against several other men were formally dismissed. Whyte appeared alone in the dock at the High Court in Glasgow during a procedural hearing and the case was continued until July 29.Whyte was originally charged with four other men of conspiring to acquire and obtain by fraud a majority and controlling stake in the shareholding of the club.The court heard proceedings have been dropped against Paul Clark and David Whitehouse, who were appointed joint administrators of Rangers in February 2012 and attended Fridays hearing.Charges have also been dismissed against two others, Gary Withey and David Grier.A statement issued on behalf of Mr Whitehouse and Mr Clark said: From the outset, both have emphatically denied all allegations of criminal conduct against them.At a hearing in February, the Crown finally accepted the defence position in relation to the majority of the charges brought againsst the administrators.ddddddddddddThe remaining two charges were then dismissed by the court. Since then, the defence has repeatedly asked the Crown to confirm that the case against David Whitehouse and Paul Clark is at an end. That has at last been confirmed.This brings the proceedings against David Whitehouse and Paul Clark to an end. David Whitehouse and Paul Clark are relieved at the outcome. They are grateful to their families, friends, colleagues and legal teams for their support during a very difficult period.They will now be considering what further steps might be open to them to address the damage caused to their reputations and careers by a prosecution which should never have been brought.A Crown Office spokesman said: The Crown can confirm that proceedings are no longer live against Mr Clark and Mr Whitehouse. Also See: Rangers start with Well Warburton hails Barton Rangers video Rangers stats ' ' '