Rafael Nadal, playing his first event after a seven-month injury layoff, advanced to the semifinals of the $410,200 Vina del Mar ATP claycourt tournament with a straight-sets triumph on Friday.
The 11-time Grand Slam champion from Spain ousted seventh-seeded countryman Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-1, 6-4.

Top seed Nadal will face either French third seed Jeremy Chardy or Italian sixth seed Paolo Lorenzi for a spot in the final.

Until this week, Nadal had not played since a shock second-round exit from Wimbledon in June.