French Open tennis champion Rafael Nadal of Spain has beaten Argentina's Mariano Puerta to reach the semifinals of the Rogers Cup hard-court tournament in Montreal.
Nadal, the top seed, eliminated the eighth-seeded Argentine in straight sets (6-3, 6-1) Friday. The 19-year-old Spaniard next faces Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu, who ousted Slovakia's Karol Beck (6-1, 6-2).
Quarterfinal action continues Saturday, with superstar Andre Agassi of the United States completing a rain-delayed match with sixth seed Gaston Gaudio of Argentina. Agassi, the fourth seed, won the first set 6-3 Friday before play was called.
The remaining quarterfinal between and Britain's Greg Rusedski and Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia also will be played.
The Montreal tournament is a key warm-up for the last major tournament of the year, the U.S. Open, which starts August 29 in New York.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
