There was huge criticism of the protracted 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean where group stages were followed by a round-robin Super Eight phase before the two semi-finals, and the tournament comprised 51 matches in total.
Schuettler, seeded eight, will play David Nalbandian in the semi-finals after the Argentine beat Feliciano Lopez 6-4 6-4.
The last eight would be a reasonable finish, the semi-finals would be a good finish and anything after that would be great.
The winners of each European group will qualify for the finals automatically and the best eight runners-up play off for four more qualifying berths.
The German guided the Black Stars to the 1992 finals in Senegal - after an eight-year absence - and returned to Ghana in March this year, on the back of popular support.
But the 31-year-old, who has lost all eight ATP title finals, was unable to break his duck on this occasion.
Of the eight sides tipped pre-tournament to reach the quarter-finals and based on figures for the 12 months prior to 1 March they have both the third worst strike rate and the third worst record for losing wickets.
But Nadal has stormed back to make eight of the ten Grand Slam finals over the past two-and-a-half years with five wins.
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Srichaphan ripped 45 winners against his Russian opponent, who reached the semi-finals at the French Open and the last eight at the Australian Open.
He won 20 England caps, playing in the 1958 and 1962 World Cups, before taking the team to the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup in an eight-year spell as the national manager.
The 20-year-old Azarenka has now lost five of her eight WTA Tour finals.
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During that 25-year span, eight different programs in the West have reached the regional finals.
Shanghai has made way for London and the Tennis Masters Cup has been rebranded the ATP World Tour Finals, but the principle remains the same - the best eight players in the world battling to end the year as the world champion.
Law then used all his experience, hitting eight fours and two sixes to keep alive Lancashire's hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals.
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World number eight Fernando Gonzalez of Chile improved his prospects of joining them by booking a place in the quarter-finals.
In eight seasons with Saints, Smith has played in two Powergen Cup finals, a Heineken Cup semi-final and three Heineken Cup quarter finals.
After notching one goal and eight assists in 20 postseason games a year ago, when the top-seeded Rangers reached the Eastern Conference finals, Stepan is ready to put his experience to good use.
The eight teams taking part have been divided into two groups, with the top two from each reaching the semi-finals.
In Group B, Sussex qualified for the quarter-finals with a game to spare, but missed out on a home tie in the last eight after losing their final group game to bottom-side Surrey.
He spent five years at the helm, leading England to the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, as well as a place in the last eight at the 2004 European Championships.
From the 2003 through the 2010 season the playoff field consisted of eight teams, with the conference semifinals played on just such a two-legged aggregate goal format, the conference finals a single game at the home of the higher seed, and MLS Cup hosted at a pre-determined often-neutral sight regardless of who was in the final.
The eight franchises will play each other in a round-robin format, with the top four sides qualifying for semi-finals on 30 and 31 May.
Barrett's victory set the tone for a night of upsets at Prizefighter, a contest that saw eight heavyweights compete in a succession of three-round bouts, beginning with four back-to-back quarter-finals, followed by semis and a final.
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