Nadal eases through to Mexican Open last four

Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates his victory against Leonardo Mayer of Argentina during their men's singles match at the Acapulco International tennis tournament in Acapulco February 28, 2013.

ACAPULCO (Reuters) - Former world number one Rafa Nadal breezed through to the semi-finals of the Mexican Open on Thursday, dispatching Argentine Leonardo Mayer in straight sets 6-1, 7-5.

The second-seeded Nadal will face fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro on Friday.

Nadal, an 11-time Grand Slam champion, is in the midst of a three tournament comeback after a knee injury forced him to take a seven-month hiatus from the tour.

Earlier this month Nadal made the final of the VTR Open in Chile, and followed that up by claiming the Brazil Open title.

(Reporting by David Alire Garcia. Editing by Patrick Johnston)