Nadal, Ferrer advance to Mexican Open semifinals

Rafael Nadal beat Leonardo Mayer in straight sets Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the Mexican Open, setting up a meeting with Spanish compatriot Nicolas Almagro.

The second-seeded Nadal won 6-1, 7-5 in 1 hour, 41 minutes as the former top-ranked player continues his comeback from a long-term knee injury and builds toward the French Open.

Third-seeded Almagro also had a straight-set win, defeating Horacio Zeballos 6-3, 6-4.

Top-seeded David Ferrer remained on track for a fourth-straight Mexican Open title by beating Paolo Lorenzi 6-3, 6-1, notching his 18th consecutive win in this tournament.

Ferrer's semifinal opponent will be Italy's Fabio Fognini, who beat Santiago Giraldo 7-5, 6-4.