Rafael Nadal of Spain returns a shot to Kei Nishikori of Japan during their men's singles match at the Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament in Key Biscayne, Florida (Photo: Reuters)
The No. 2-seeded Nadal, a three-time runner-up at Key Biscayne, is seeking his first title in the tournament and his first anywhere since last year’s French Open.
Nadal broke in the final game of the first set when Nishikori sailed an easy forehand long, then broke again and raced to a 3-love lead in the second set. The Spaniard has lost only 14 games in three rounds.
No. 9 Janko Tipsarevic also advanced, beating 20-year-old Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (3), 6-2.
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