Top-seeded Majorcan Rafael Nadal advanced to the semifinals of the Hamburg Open by beating fifth-seeded Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 6-2 yesterday.
Nadal’s semifinal opponent will be Andreas Seppi, who reached the last four without having to play.
His opponent, Simone Bolleli, withdrew with a stomach ailment.
Nadal is looking to extend his streak of having won at least one European clay-court title every year since 2004.
The former top-ranked player has dropped to No. 10 in the world.
Qualifier Lucas Pouille upset Benoit Paire 6-3, 6-2 to set up a semifinal encounter against eighth-seeded and 2013 Hamburg winner Fabio Fognini, who beat Aljaz Bedene 6-4, 7-5.
Pouille reached his second semifinal of the year by ending Paire’s seven-match winning run that included his maiden title in Bastad, Sweden.