Rafael Nadal continued his winning streak at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel on Thursday, overcoming the determined qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka 7-6(2), 6-3 to reach the semi-finals in Acapulco.

The second seed improves to 13-0 at this tournament and has won all 26 sets he’s played. Nadal’s previous Acapulco titles in 2005 and 2013 came on red clay. He’s seeking his first hard-court title since prevailing at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in January 2014.

Standing between Nadal and a spot in Saturday’s final is third seed Marin Cilic, who advanced to the final four without hitting a ball due to the withdrawal of Steve Johnson. The American suffered a sprained ankle during his second-round victory on Wednesday against wild card and #NextGenATP player Ernesto Escobedo. Nadal leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry against Cilic 3-1 and has won their past three matches.

The 21-year-old Nishioka, competing in his first ATP World Tour quarter-final of 2017, showed no sign of nerves in one of the biggest matches of his career. He repeatedly tracked down shots that would be winners for Nadal against most players and goaded the Spaniard into numerous errors on his forehand wing. Nishioka twice held serve to stay in the opening set and force a tie-break. But Nadal’s forehand, which often betrayed him throughout the first set, came alive when it mattered most. He raced to a 5/0 lead and cracked a forehand winner on his first set point to grab the early advantage.

Nishioka refused to go away quietly and immediately scored an early break to go up 2-0 in the second set. But as Nadal continued to find the range on his shots, the intensity of the grueling baseline rallies appeared to finally take their toll on the Japanese player. The second seed went on a four-game run to lead 4-2 in the second set, which included several timely volleys. Nadal went 12/12 on net approaches during the match, fittingly hitting an overhead smash on match point to wrap up the contest in one hour and 57 minutes. 

 Watch Full Match Replays

Two-time defending Brasil Open champion Pablo Cuevas continued his reign in Sao Paulo on Thursday, storming into the quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Facundo Bagnis.

The third seed broke his opponent twice in each set to wrap up a comprehensive victory in 64 minutes. Cuevas improves his FedEx ATP Head2Head over Bagnis to 4-0, with all four wins coming in Brazil. The Uruguayan has defeated Bagnis in the second round of Sao Paulo for three consecutive years and also prevailed last year in the opening round of the Rio Open presented by Claro.

Cuevas will play sixth seed Diego Schwartman, who broke serve five times to record an identical 6-2, 6-2 scoreline over Gerald Melzer. Schwartzman has been on fire so far in Sao Paulo, dropping just six games in his first two matches. The Argentine leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head against Cuevas 2-1 and won their most recent match last month at the Australian Open.

Top seed and last year’s Sao Paulo runner-up Pablo Carreno Busta extended his dominance this month in South America by defeating local favourite Joao Souza 6-4, 6-2. The Brazilian briefly rallied from down 1-5 in the first set, but the Spaniard controlled play for the remainder of the match. He boosts his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Souza to 2-1. All three of their matches have taken place in Brazil, with Souza winning in Sao Paulo in 2015 and Carreno Busta prevailing last week in Rio de Janeiro.

The Spaniard is now into his third consecutive ATP World Tour quarter-final. Carreno Busta recorded a semi-final showing at the Argentina Open (l. Dolgopolov) and runner-up finish last week in Rio de Janeiro (l. Thiem).

Next up for Carreno Busta is fifth seed Fabio Fognini, a 7-6(1), 7-6(3) winner over qualifier Alessandro Giannessi of Italy. The Italian is seeking his first semi-final in Sao Paulo since 2008. Carreno Busta leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head 3-0, including two victories last year at the VTB Kremlin Cup and Paris Masters.

World No. 1 Andy Murray saved seven match points in a record-equalling second-set tie-break to cruelly deny German Philipp Kohlschreiber’s quest for a 400th match win at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Thursday.

Murray won the 31-minute second-set tie-break 20/18 on his eighth set point, eventually taking the match 6-7(4), 7-6(18), 6-1. The second-set marathon equalled five other epic tie-breaks of the same score since tie-break scores were first kept in 1991. Such was the drama that the players forgot to change ends at 15/15, instead changing at 16/16.

“It’s obviously a special match to win because of how it went,” said Murray. “I’ll probably never play another tie-break like that again. I have been playing on the tour for 11, 12 years now, and nothing’s been close to that.

“There were definitely some unbelievable points in that second set tie-break, but in general I think the level was extremely high. He was hitting the ball so hard tonight from both sides. Any time he had the opportunity, he was ripping the ball and made it really, really tough.”

 Watch Full Match Replays

Kohlschreiber, down 1-4 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head with the Scot, was fearless on return and wielded his trademark single-handed backhand, alongside 15 forehand winners, to force the 2012 Dubai finalist into a first set tie-break. The World No. 29 continued to attack the Murray second serve and played a high-risk strategy to secure the opening set.

Murray fought back and earned the first break of the match to lead 2-1. However, with a deciding set looming, Kohlschreiber unleashed a series of ferocious forehands to restore parity at 5-5. The rallies escalated in intensity and another tie-break was required.

The top seed surged 4-2 in front with relentless shot-making, before a piercing backhand winner down the line produced two set points. A disguised drop shot and drive volley from the German dismissed that advantage.

Then came a moment of sheer brilliance. Down match point at 8-9, Murray managed to cut an audacious forehand drop shot to spin past the tramlines and the bewildered Kohlschreiber. 

“That was probably the worst decision I made in the whole match. Look, it paid off, but if I was coaching someone, I certainly wouldn’t tell them to try a shot like that,” revealed Murray. “Maybe when the ball’s a bit higher, it’s easier, but it was off a slice, and I was running around the ball. It was literally the most extreme angle possible. There’s a lot of luck involved in that shot.”

That save seemed to be the catalyst for Murray to break down the challenge of Kohlschreiber. Heavy serving and aggressive play fended off a further six match points. Eventually the Kohlschreiber forehand broke down on consecutive points to conclude a staggering 84-minute set. Murray’s persistence paid off, with a break for 3-1 proving the decisive move in the third set for victory.

“Of course losing is always disappointing, but I’m not sad,” stated Kohlschreiber. “I think I played great tennis, one of my best matches. You can be thinking about one or two shots, but it was just a great match. It’s well-deserved, he’s a great fighter, he never gave up.”

Murray will meet seventh seed Lucas Pouille in the semi-finals after the Frenchman was taken the distance 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(2) by Roger Federer’s second-round conqueror, Evgeny Donskoy.

The Russian saved three match points to defeat Federer and at 4-5 in the deciding set against Pouille, the World No. 116 managed to fend off another two match points.

However, Pouille, finalist at Open 13 Marseille last week (l. Tsonga), commanded play in the match tie-break to advance to the final four.

Fernando Verdasco clinched his first victory over Gael Monfils 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships semi-finals on Thursday.

Fourth seed Monfils had won their previous three FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters, but the 33 year old, also a semi-finalist in Doha this season (l. Djokovic), won 81 per cent of first serve points to dictate play.

The Spaniard led 6-3, 5-3 before a rain delay on Monfils’ serve. Upon resumption, the World No. 12 broke to level the second set, before Verdasco claimed the last six points to serve out victory at the second attempt and to edge into the final four.

“I think I played almost the perfect match. Maybe I could have been a little bit more aggressive on my serve, but it was not easy after the rain delay,” said Verdasco. “Gael makes it difficult, he’s a super-solid player. I’m very happy to be here, and I will try my best to win one more match and to be in the final.”

Watch Hot Shot: Dzumhur Never Gives Up

 Watch Full Match Replays

He will meet Robin Haase, who booked a spot in the first ATP World Tour 500 semi-final of his career after he beat Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in one hour and 51 minutes. The Dutchman is through to the last four of a tour-level event for the first time since July 2016, when he advanced to the J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad final (l. to Lopez).

World No. 1 Andy Murray, who lost to seven-time Dubai champion Roger Federer in the 2012 final, takes on Philipp Kohlschreiber in the night session. Seventh seed Lucas Pouille meets Federer’s conqueror, qualifier Evgeny Donskoy, in the final match of day four.