Mr Ferrer could become the city's first Latino mayor if he beats Michael Bloomberg in November.
World number 16 Ferrer's straight-sets victory in Logrono extended Spain's unbeaten home run to 19 ties.
BBC: David Ferrer secures Spain Davis Cup quarter-final spot
One of Nadal's main rivals, his compatriot David Ferrer, knows the task facing the challengers.
This last effort from Ibrahim Ferrer aims for that territory, and gets impressively close.
Earlier on Saturday, Federer claimed third place with a 6-1 7-5 victory against Spain's David Ferrer.
Ferrer's opponent Wednesday will be unseeded Jurgen Melzer, who rallied past Albert Ramos, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
After the invitation from Cooder, Ferrer left his shoeshining job and returned to the stage.
Meanwhile, Djokovic started his own season in style with a 6-0 6-3 win over Ferrer.
Spanish No.6 David Ferrer looked comfortable as he beat France's Benoit Paire 6-3 6-3 6-2.
Nadal later emerged on Center Court for a battle royale with Ferrer, who dominated the early sparring.
Meanwhile, top seed David Ferrer was able to successfully defend his Buenos Aires Open crown in Argentina.
"It's my first final in Masters Series and I'm happy with my season, " said the beaten Ferrer.
CNN: King of clay Nadal claims record-equaling Masters title
"There was a lot of lifesaving work done at the scene, " said Boston Health Commissioner Barbara Ferrer.
No. 3 David Ferrer won in straight-sets against Japan's Kei Nishikori, cruising to a 6-4 6-2 success.
Ferrer was living in obscurity until career was resurrected in the 1990s, as NPR's Felix Contreras reports.
The music world lost another entertainer over the weekend, the "Buena Vista Social Club" vocalist, Ibrahim Ferrer.
Ferrer breezed through the final two sets after the 2001 champion Hewitt leveled at a set all.
"I had a lot of chances to break his serve, " Ferrer said of his latest Federer defeat.
CNN: Champion Federer floors Ferrer to reach semis at ATP finals
He dropped just seven of 51 service points while winning 41 of 75 points on Ferrer's serve.
It took him to 73 match victories this year, equaling the leading mark set by David Ferrer.
There were also victories for Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic, Spain's number four seed David Ferrer and Canada's Milos Raonic.
Rafa brings up 30-0 in no time, his viciously-spinning forehand forcing Ferrer to return balls at head height.
Another seed to fall on Wednesday was Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic, who was beaten by David Ferrer of Spain.
Ferrer was followed on court by Nicolas Almagro and John Isner who played out a thrilling five-set match.
Even Ferrer, who has now lost five Grand Slam semifinals and never reached a championship match, was surprised.
Djokovic's defeat opened the door for Nadal and the defending champion continued his mastery over fellow Spaniard David Ferrer.
Despite failing to convert four break point opportunities in the opening set, Ferrer went on to dominate the tiebreak.
"I did not feel well on the court today, " Ferrer, who is a four-time runner-up in Barcelona, told reporters.
The winner of the Murray-Gasquet match is likely to face world No. 5 David Ferrer in the last eight.
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