The defending champion Rafael Nadal reached the semifinals of the Argentina Open with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory over Paolo Lorenzi in Buenos Aires. Nadal, a former world No. 1, will next face Dominic Thiem, who defeated Dusan Lajovic, 6-4, 6-2.
u25a0 Top-seeded Belinda Bencic won a late-night battle with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2, to take the final spot in a semifinal at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy in Russia. She will face Daria Kasatkina, who overcame the tenacious Dominika Cibulkova, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
The other semifinal will pit second-seeded Roberta Vinci against Ana Ivanovic.