ACAPULCO, Mexico - Rafael Nadal ran his Mexican Open winning streak to 13 matches Thursday night, beating Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka 7-6 (2), 6-3 to reach the semifinals.
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 semifinals, 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 series against Cilic 3-1, but they haven't played since the Basel quarterfinals 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.''
Johnson was injured in his match against his countryman Ernesto Escobedo late Wednesday.