Andy Murray eased past Canada's Vasek Pospisil 6-4, 6-4 to keep alive his prospects of securing a place at the ATP World Tour Finals in London next month.

The Scot, seeded second, assured himself of 45 points by advancing to the quarter-finals of the Erste Bank Open, and can double that points haul if he beats the German Jan-Lennard Struff tomorrow.

However, his place in the quarter-finals was matched by David Ferrer, the No.1 seed, while four of their rivals for the three berths still available at the O2 also reached the last eight in Moscow or Stockholm where the rewards are the same.

The Czech Tomas Berdych and Grigor Dimitrov, of Bulgaria, are at opposite ends of the draw in Stockholm while Marin Cilic is No.2 seed in Moscow. The only surprise casualty today was the Canadian Milos Raonic, the No.1 seed in Moscow who went down in three sets to Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania and had to settle for a meagre 20 ranking points.

The rewards for making further progress to the semi-finals, final (150 points) or winning their respective events (250) will not be decisive in the hunt for the last places in London.

All the contenders will be back in action next week in Valencia - Murray will join Kei Nishikori, Cilic, Berdych and Ferrer - or Basle, where Raonic and Dimitrov will be in the draw alongside the already-qualified Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Stanislas Wawrinka.

The rewards at both will be exactly double those available in Vienna, Stockholm and Moscow - 500 for winners, 300 for runners-up, 180 for semi-finalists, 90 for quarter-finalists and 45 for second-round losers - but it will be in Paris the following week, where the points will be double in value again that the decisive moves will be made.