Clay king Rafael Nadal survived a storming comeback attempt from Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Saturday before finally holding off the sixth seed to win 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) and take his accustomed place in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters. Nadal, seeded third but always the man to beat on his most lethal surface, spent 96 minutes on court as Tsonga rallied from a set and 5-1 down, breaking the Spaniard twice but failing in the second-set tiebreak which decided the dramatic contest.

International Sports Desk, Apr 19 (EFE).- Spain's Rafael Nadal got all he could handle from Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov Friday afternoon at the Monte Carlo Masters, but he turned the match around in time to score a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory and secure a semifinal berth. The world No. 5 and third seed steamrolled through the first set of the quarterfinal match as Dimitrov struggled to penetrate Nadal's defense or get any easy points on his serve.

Top three seeds Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal all made winning starts at the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday. World number one Djokovic said he was pleased to have passed a huge test on his injured right ankle following a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 defeat of Russian Mikhail Youzhny. Djokovic admitted that at one point in the second set he felt some pain but played through it successfully, thanks in part to his heavy strappings.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic booked their places in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday as the pair each passed tough tests after recent physical setbacks. Nadal made a predictably successful return to his beloved clay on Wednesday, the Spanish third seed starting his quest for a ninth straight Monte Carlo Masters title with a 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Marinko Matosevic. Tournament number one Djokovic put his injured right ankle under major pressure but still came up with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 defeat of Russian Mikhail Youzhny.