diff --git a/backend/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/hibernate/search/backend/elasticsearch/search/predicate/impl/AbstractElasticsearchSearchNestedPredicateBuilder.java b/backend/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/hibernate/search/backend/elasticsearch/search/predicate/impl/AbstractElasticsearchSearchNestedPredicateBuilder.java
index 4c0a20c0d5f..9fd41283684 100644
--- a/backend/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/hibernate/search/backend/elasticsearch/search/predicate/impl/AbstractElasticsearchSearchNestedPredicateBuilder.java
+++ b/backend/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/hibernate/search/backend/elasticsearch/search/predicate/impl/AbstractElasticsearchSearchNestedPredicateBuilder.java
@@ -28,13 +28,16 @@ public AbstractElasticsearchSearchNestedPredicateBuilder(List<String> nestedPath
 	public final JsonObject build(ElasticsearchSearchPredicateContext context) {
 		JsonObject result = super.build( context );
 		if ( nestedPathHierarchy != null && !nestedPathHierarchy.isEmpty() ) {
-			result = applyImplicitNested( result, new LinkedList<>( nestedPathHierarchy ), context );
+			result = applyImplicitNested( result, nestedPathHierarchy, context );
 		}
 		return result;
 	}
 
-	private JsonObject applyImplicitNested(JsonObject partialResult, List<String> nestedPathHierarchy,
-			ElasticsearchSearchPredicateContext context) {
+	public static JsonObject applyImplicitNested(JsonObject partialResult, List<String> nestedPathHierarchy, ElasticsearchSearchPredicateContext context) {
+		return applyImplicitNestedStep( partialResult, new LinkedList<>( nestedPathHierarchy ), context );
+	}
+
+	private static JsonObject applyImplicitNestedStep(JsonObject partialResult, List<String> nestedPathHierarchy, ElasticsearchSearchPredicateContext context) {
 		if ( nestedPathHierarchy.isEmpty() ) {
 			return partialResult;
 		}
@@ -48,7 +51,7 @@ private JsonObject applyImplicitNested(JsonObject partialResult, List<String> ne
 		JsonObject innerObject = new JsonObject();
 
 		PATH_ACCESSOR.set( innerObject, lastPath );
-		QUERY_ACCESSOR.set( innerObject, applyImplicitNested( partialResult, nestedPathHierarchy, context ) );
+		QUERY_ACCESSOR.set( innerObject, applyImplicitNestedStep( partialResult, nestedPathHierarchy, context ) );
 
 		JsonObject outerObject = new JsonObject();
 		outerObject.add( "nested", innerObject );
diff --git a/backend/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/hibernate/search/backend/elasticsearch/search/predicate/impl/ElasticsearchSimpleQueryStringPredicateBuilder.java b/backend/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/hibernate/search/backend/elasticsearch/search/predicate/impl/ElasticsearchSimpleQueryStringPredicateBuilder.java
index d22ec1ac1ac..186403c9003 100644
--- a/backend/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/hibernate/search/backend/elasticsearch/search/predicate/impl/ElasticsearchSimpleQueryStringPredicateBuilder.java
+++ b/backend/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/hibernate/search/backend/elasticsearch/search/predicate/impl/ElasticsearchSimpleQueryStringPredicateBuilder.java
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 package org.hibernate.search.backend.elasticsearch.search.predicate.impl;
 
 import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
+import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 
 import org.hibernate.search.backend.elasticsearch.gson.impl.JsonAccessor;
@@ -111,8 +112,11 @@ protected JsonObject doBuild(ElasticsearchSearchPredicateContext context,
 		QUERY_ACCESSOR.set( innerObject, simpleQueryString );
 		DEFAULT_OPERATOR_ACCESSOR.set( innerObject, defaultOperator );
 
+		List<String> nestedPathHierarchy = null;
 		JsonArray fieldArray = new JsonArray();
 		for ( ElasticsearchSimpleQueryStringPredicateBuilderFieldState fieldContext : fields.values() ) {
+			// TODO: check if the fields belong **all** to the same nested object or to the root object.
+			nestedPathHierarchy = fieldContext.getNestedPathHierarchy( scopeModel );
 			fieldArray.add( fieldContext.build() );
 		}
 		FIELDS_ACCESSOR.set( innerObject, fieldArray );
@@ -133,7 +137,9 @@ protected JsonObject doBuild(ElasticsearchSearchPredicateContext context,
 		}
 
 		SIMPLE_QUERY_STRING_ACCESSOR.set( outerObject, innerObject );
-		return outerObject;
+
+		return ( nestedPathHierarchy == null || nestedPathHierarchy.isEmpty() ) ? outerObject :
+				AbstractElasticsearchSearchNestedPredicateBuilder.applyImplicitNested( outerObject, nestedPathHierarchy, context );
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/backend/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/hibernate/search/backend/elasticsearch/types/predicate/impl/ElasticsearchSimpleQueryStringPredicateBuilderFieldState.java b/backend/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/hibernate/search/backend/elasticsearch/types/predicate/impl/ElasticsearchSimpleQueryStringPredicateBuilderFieldState.java
index 565a922da8e..e64196cbc4d 100644
--- a/backend/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/hibernate/search/backend/elasticsearch/types/predicate/impl/ElasticsearchSimpleQueryStringPredicateBuilderFieldState.java
+++ b/backend/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/hibernate/search/backend/elasticsearch/types/predicate/impl/ElasticsearchSimpleQueryStringPredicateBuilderFieldState.java
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@
  */
 package org.hibernate.search.backend.elasticsearch.types.predicate.impl;
 
+import java.util.List;
+
+import org.hibernate.search.backend.elasticsearch.scope.model.impl.ElasticsearchScopeModel;
 import org.hibernate.search.engine.search.predicate.spi.SimpleQueryStringPredicateBuilder;
 
 import com.google.gson.JsonPrimitive;
@@ -33,4 +36,8 @@ public JsonPrimitive build() {
 		}
 		return new JsonPrimitive( sb.toString() );
 	}
+
+	public List<String> getNestedPathHierarchy(ElasticsearchScopeModel scopeModel) {
+		return scopeModel.getNestedPathHierarchy( absoluteFieldPath );
+	}
 }
diff --git a/integrationtest/backend/elasticsearch/src/test/java/org/hibernate/search/integrationtest/backend/elasticsearch/tmp/ImplicitNestedSearchPredicateIT.java b/integrationtest/backend/elasticsearch/src/test/java/org/hibernate/search/integrationtest/backend/elasticsearch/tmp/ImplicitNestedSearchPredicateIT.java
index 991ef2d3180..e87bef1e776 100644
--- a/integrationtest/backend/elasticsearch/src/test/java/org/hibernate/search/integrationtest/backend/elasticsearch/tmp/ImplicitNestedSearchPredicateIT.java
+++ b/integrationtest/backend/elasticsearch/src/test/java/org/hibernate/search/integrationtest/backend/elasticsearch/tmp/ImplicitNestedSearchPredicateIT.java
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@
 import org.hibernate.search.util.impl.integrationtest.mapper.stub.StubMappingScope;
 
 import org.junit.Before;
-import org.junit.Ignore;
 import org.junit.Rule;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
@@ -132,7 +131,6 @@ public void predicate_wildcard() {
 		verify_implicit_nest( p -> p.wildcard().field( "nested.text" ).matching( SOME_WILDCARD_PATTERN ) );
 	}
 
-	@Ignore // TODO: support this
 	@Test
 	public void predicate_simpleQueryString() {
 		verify_implicit_nest( p -> p.simpleQueryString().field( "nested.text" ).matching( SOME_SIMPLE_QUERY_STRING ) );