Acapulco 2022 scores, winners and recap: Rafael Nadal sets up semi-final showdown with newly-crowned World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev 

Rafael Nadal continued his undefeated run in 2022, beating Tommy Paul in straight sets in the quarterfinals of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel.

This was the Spaniard's 13th consecutive win this season, extending his personal record for the best start to a year. In the earlier rounds, he defeated Denis Kudla and Stefan Kozlov in straight sets as well.

Nadal is gunning for his third title of the season, having won the Melbourne Summer Set and the Australian Open in January.

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Rafael Nadal vs Tommy Paul Score

The 21-time Major champion defeated Tommy Paul 6-0, 7-6(5).

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Rafael Nadal vs Tommy Paul Winner

With his victory over Tommy Paul, Nadal is set to take on top seed Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals. The Russian beat Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 6-3 in their quarter-final clash.

Following Novak Djokovic's surprise loss to Jiri Vesely in Dubai, Medvedev is set to become the new World No. 1 when the rankings are released on Monday.

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Rafael Nadal vs Tommy Paul Recap

Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Australian Open

Nadal completely dominated the opening set to win it 6-0 in just 28 minutes. He lost just two points on his own serve. Paul struggled to make any inroads on the Spaniard's serve and was put under tremendous pressure on his own serve.

After an impressive first set, Nadal was expected to continue his momentum and steamroll his opponent. But Tommy Paul had other plans. He began the second set by breaking the Spaniard and holding serve for a 2-0 lead.

Nadal finally got on the board in the third game of the set, after which the duo traded breaks over the next four games. With Paul serving at 4-3, the former World No. 1 had an opportunity to level proceedings but failed to convert a break point.

The American held serve to make it 5-3 and Nadal responded with a comfortable service hold of his own. Paul stepped up to serve for the set at 5-4, but the Spaniard raised his game to level the match with a break of serve.

Paul continued to fight hard. He held a couple of break points on Nadal's serve in the next game, but the 35-year old remained calm under pressure to take a 6-5 lead. The American then managed a gutsy service hold after saving two match points to take the second set to a tie-break.

The tie-break had a couple of momentum shifts but Nadal eventually edged out his younger opponent to secure the win.

Nadal will next take on Medvedev in a repeat of the Australian Open final last month. The Spaniard staged an incredible fightback after losing the first couple of sets to win his 21st Grand Slam title. The match promises to be an exciting contest between two of the best on tour at the moment.