Claycourt king Rafael Nadal has battled into the early hours in reaching the semi-finals of the Rio Open after beating Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas.

Nadal, who will bid this season for a tenth French Open crown, came through 4-6 7-5 6-0 in two hours and six minutes, in a contest which began around 1am and lasted until 3:20am.

The late finish infuriated the world number three and defending champion, who complained of having to start a match at that time.

“I know it is not the fault of the tournament. It is the fault of the ATP wanting to change a match over (to a different court).

“If it were a Grand Slam where you get a day and a half (between matches), then okay,” Nadal said afterwards, reflecting that he would have to be back in action again on Saturday evening.

“I am going to go off to bed and we’ll see if I have recovered” for a meeting with Italian world number 28 Fabio Fognini.

Fognini had kept Nadal waiting as he beat Argentine Federico Delbonis 6-4 6-7 7-6 in a three-hour marathon.

Also advancing was second seeded Spaniard David Ferrer, who battled past Argentine Juan Monaco 6-3 4-6 6-2 in just over two hours on court at the Jockey Club in hot sunshine.

With temperatures hitting 42 degrees, both men made errors before Ferrer finally managed to find top gear as he gradually wore Monaco down, moving him around the court.

Ferrer will now face Andreas Haider-Maurer in Saturday’s semis after Haider-Maurer’s 7-6 1-6 6-4 win over Brazil’s Joao Souza.