Rafael Nadal thrashed Croatia’s Marin Cilic 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the Mexican Open final on Friday. Seeking his first title this season, Nadal extended his winning streak to 14 matches at the Mexican Open. He won the hard-court event in 2005 and 2013. It will be Nadal’s 70th title overall if he wins the tournament. The second-seeded Nadal will face American Sam Querrey or Australian Nick Kyrgios in the final. Nadal last won a hard-court title in January 2014 in Doha.

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Sam Querrey halts Nick Kyrgios on his tracks

In Friday’s evening session of play in Acapulco, American Sam Querrey got the better of Nick Kyrgios in their semi-final clash, and will play Nadal in the final on Saturday. Querrey won 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 in an hour and 34 minutes.

Querrey, who is unseeded this week in Acapulco, lost the first set 3-6 to Kyrgios, after the latter broke him in quick succession in the seventh and ninth game. In the second set, even as Querrey built his momentum, Kyrgios looked to struggling with a niggle to his right forearm and elbow. And, while he held his opening service game, two back-to-back breaks of serve on the Australian’s serve saw Querrey wrap up the set in 23 minutes.

Kyrgios called for the trainer after the second set and post his medical time-out, looked to have regrouped in the third set. Both players held their serve until the 12th game, when Kyrgios failed to save the two match points on his serve.

Querrey, who will be playing his first ATP tournament final this season, has defeated three seeded players consecutively this week. He first defeated the fifth seeded David Goffin in the second round, then followed it up with a win over fourth seed and defending champion Dominic Thiem in the quarter-finals, before ousting the sixth seeded Kyrgios in the penultimate round.