Defending champion Novak Djokovic defeated Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 4-6 6-3 6-1 to reach the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals on Friday.
Djokovic, the second seed, looked to be heading towards the same possible upset fate which befell eight-time champion Rafael Nadal earlier in the day when the Spaniard lost to David Ferrer 7-6 (7-1) 6-4.
But Djokovic held his nerve, saving two key break points in the seventh game of the second set to turn the tide against the winner of the Casablanca claycourt title last weekend.
Djokovic will face off in a Saturday semi-final against Roger Federer, whom he beat in last month’s Indian Wells final but lost to in Dubai in February.
Earlier, handed the top seed only his third loss in the principality just a day after Nadal had won his 300th career claycourt match and 50th at the Monte Carlo Country Club.
Meanwhile Roger Federer, bidding to win the title for the first time, squandered his first 15 break points before finally coming good on a 16th on his way to a 2-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 defeat of French ninth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
The Swiss fourth seed won his 950th career match in a topsy-turvy clash, winning the second set on a fourth set point before running away with the third.
He will be playing in his 50th Masters semi-final against Djokovic.
Ferrer arrived on Friday with a 5-21 deficit against Nadal who last failed to make the final in Monte Carlo in his debut year of 2003.
“When the opponent is doing things better than you, the normal thing is to lose. That’s what happened today,” said Nadal, who committed 44 unforced errors.
“I didn’t play the right way. I didn’t play with the right intensity with my forehand. I played too short. I give him the chance to have the control of the point almost all the time. He did much better than me, so I just congratulate him.”
Ferrer will now face off on Saturday against Australian Open winner Stanislas Wawrinka who clinched a 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 over Canadian Milos Raonic.
The win was the first on clay for Ferrer against Nadal in a decade.
“Maybe this week is my best of this season,” said Ferrer, who was runner-up to Nadal at the French Open last year.
“Rafa’s not a machine. Sometimes he can play not so good. Maybe today he didn’t play his best tennis, and I played very good.”
Wawrinka, who had a walkover in the previous round when Spain’s Nicolas Almagro pulled out with a foot injury, took control of his match as Raonic twice lost leads in the opening set tie-breaker.
The mistakes gave an opening to Wawrinka, who took the first set on his initial opportunity and then broke to start the second as the frustrated Raonic let go of a 40-15 lead in the first game.
From that point on, momentum totally shifted to the Swiss world number three, who broke the Canadian again for 5-2 before serving out for the match in 90 minutes.
Wawrinka duplicated his 2009 result by reaching the semi-finals and improving his season record to 18-3.
