01 August,2015 10:44 AM IST | | AFP
Top seed Rafael Nadal defeated fifth seed Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 6-2 on Friday to set up a Hamburg semi-final clash against Italian veteran Andreas Seppi
Hamburg: Top seed Rafael Nadal defeated fifth seed Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 6-2 yesterday to set up a Hamburg semi-final clash against Italian veteran Andreas Seppi.
Nadal, 29, broke the Cuevas serve five times on his way to a second triumph over the Uruguayan this year, having also beaten the South American in the Rio de Janeiro quarter-finals in February.
Nadal is playing in Hamburg for the first time since 2008, when he lifted the trophy with victory over Roger Federer, as the left-hander looks to breathe life back into his flagging season.
Seppi enjoyed a walkover into today's semi-finals when Simone Bolelli withdrew due to gastroenteritis.
Seppi trails Nadal 1-5 in career clashes with his only win coming in 2008 in Rotterdam. The other semi-final sees French qualifier Lucas Pouille face Italy's Fabio Fognini. World No 85 Pouille defeated Benoit Paire 6-3, 6-2. Eighth seed Fognini beat Britain's Aljaz Bedene 6-4, 7-5.
