KEY BISCAYNE: World number two Rafa Nadal was pushed all the way by France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga before finally emerging with a 6-2 5-7 6-4 victory to earn a place in the semi-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open.
Nadal next faces fourth-seeded Briton Andy Murray, who rallied for a 4-6 6-3 6-4 win over Serbian Janko Tipsarevic.
After winning his first set comfortably, Nadal was within two points of victory in the second but then the towering Tsonga began his brave resistance.
Tsonga broke, helped along by an untimely double-fault from Nadal and then claimed the set with a magnificent forehand return winner.
The third set produced some highly entertaining tennis and the Frenchman combined explosive shots, deft slices and glorious backhand work around the net to stay in touch with the Spaniard.
Tsonga came close to breaking in the sixth game but Nadal held his nerve and for all the ebbs and flows of what had become a real battle, the pair remained on serve until the ninth game
Nadal made the decisive break when Tsonga failed to keep a cross-court forehand in play and although the Frenchman staved off matchpoints, the second seed claimed the two hour, 49 minute contest when his opponent dumped another forehand into the net.
Murray also endured a scare as the world number four trailed by a set and a break before receiving medical attention for what appeared to be a stomach problem.
The Scot then promptly turned the match around as he broke the next service game from ninth seed Tipsarevic and went on to clinch the second set.
French seventh seed Marion Bartoli stunned previously unbeaten world number one Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals of the ATP/WTA Miami hardcourt tournament on Wednesday.
It was the second consecutive dominating victory in Miami for Bartoli who brushed aside 22nd seed Maria Kirilenko in the fourth round 6-1, 6-2.
Bartoli ended defending champion Azarenka’s season-long win streak at 26 matches by posting her third win over a world number one and first in three years.
Azarenka had five double faults and won just 49 percent of her first serve points as she tried but failed to play catchup for the second straight match.
Bartoli will next face Agnieszka Radwanska who brought Venus Williams’ comeback to a halt on Wednesday, downing the American 6-4, 6-1.
The 23-year-old Radwanska from Poland reached the semi-finals here for the first time, after getting to the quarter-finals each of the past two years.
She needed one hour, 21 minutes to overcome Williams, who was playing her first WTA tournament in more than six months. (Agencies)