Rafael Nadal ran his Mexican Open winning streak to 13 matches on Thursday, beating Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 to reach the semi-finals.
The tournament winner in 2005 and 2013, Nadal needed almost two hours to finish off Nishioka. The 30-year-old Spanish star overcame a 4-2 deficit in the first set and got out of a 0-2 hole in the second
“Every game here is special. I did not play my best tennis but that’s why it has a merit,” Nadal said. “I played great the previous rounds and today I was able to get over a tough situation. I’m happy to be in the semi-finals, that’s great news.”
Nadal will face third-seed Marin Cilic, the Croatian who advanced when American Steve Johnson withdrew because of a right ankle injury.
Nadal, who is playing in his first tournament since losing to Roger Federer in the Australian Open final, leads the duel against Cilic 3-1, but they haven’t played since the Basel quarter-finals in 2015 when Nadal won 4-6 6-3 6-3.
“He’s one of the toughest rivals in the world, he has a great serve and is very aggressive,” Nadal said. “I will have to play so much better than today if I want to have a shot. It’s a big match. I hope to be prepared for it.”