Nadal subdues Dimitrov, sets up clash with Tsonga

Eight-times champion Rafael Nadal was taken to the brink by Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov before completing a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory on Friday to reach the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals.

Eight-times champion Rafael Nadal was taken to the brink by Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov before completing a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory on Friday to reach the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals.

Nadal, who made an unusual number of errors and looked uncomfortable throughout against his 21-year-old opponent, slowly ground him down and fired an ace to clinch his 45th successive victory at the first big claycourt event of the season.

The Spaniard now has a 47-1 win-loss record at the glamorous venue and will next face Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 on the picturesque Centre Court to reach the last four for the first time.

The straight-laced crowd, for once reluctant to support Nadal with Dimitrov threatening to pull off a shock win, stood up to cheer the 34th-ranked Bulgarian as he left the court after a thrilling performance.

Paes and Melzer lose in quartersJurgen Melzer and Leander Paes lost their men's doubles quarterfinal clash against the top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan.

The Bryan brothers won 4-6, 6-3, 10-5 in one hour and 13 minutes to proceed to the semifinals against the Canadian-Australian pair of Milos Raonic and Bernard Tomic.

Paes and Melzer had earlier defeated Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna.