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.
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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.
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