Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal set up a last-four meeting at the Masters 1000 event in Toronto on Friday (13th August), after contrasting quarter-final victories.
Murray, the defending champion and fourth seed from Great Britain, beat Argentine David Nalbandian for the first time in his career 6-2, 6-2. Top-seeded Spaniard Nadal then surrendered the first set against Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber, before winning 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Quarter-finals day at the Rogers Cup, a Masters 1000 event, saw defending champion Andy Murray first on court against in-form Argentine David Nalbandian at Toronto's Rexall Center.
Nalbandian had won his last 11 matches in all tournaments - and had never been beaten by the Scot. However, both of those records came to an abrupt halt as Murray brushed aside his 28-year-old opponent, who returned to action in July after two months on the sidelines with hamstring injury.
Murray, who needs to reach Sunday's (15th August) final to keep his number four world ranking, made light work of the opening set, breaking twice before closing it out with an ace. Another break on the Nalbandian serve at the start of the second set left the South American in serious trouble.
He was unable to claw his way back into the contest, and Murray completed an efficient 6-2, 6-2, victory in 69 minutes following another ferocious ace.
The fourth seed will face Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals on Saturday (14th August). Nadal, the world number one and top seed from Spain, saw off the challenge of Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber.
It was Kohlschreiber, though, who took the first set having won his rival's first service game en route to a 3-0 lead. But Nadal, who is chasing a 19th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, hit back hard.
He dropped just two points on serve in the second set as he levelled the match at one-set all. Then, after fending off a break point to level the third set at 3-3, Nadal broke the German player to love.
The Spaniard never looked back and closed out a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph in exactly two hours.
Nadal is attempting to win a fourth consecutive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown - following his clean sweep of the clay titles in Monte-Carlo, Rome and Madrid earlier in the year.
Later on, Roger Federer beat his quarter-final conqueror at this year's Wimbledon, seventh-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych, while Frenchman Jeremy Chardy was defeated by Serbian second seed Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic will now face Federer in the last four it marks the first time since last August in Cincinnati that the top-four ranked players in the world have all advanced to the semi-finals of an ATP tournament.
Results on Friday at the Rogers Cup :
Singles quarter-finals: (seedings in brackets)
Andy Murray (4), Britain, def. David Nalbandian, Argentina, 6-2, 6-2.
Rafael Nadal (1), Spain, def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, Germany, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Roger Federer (3), Switzerland, def. Tomas Berdych (7), Czech Republic, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5).
Novak Djokovic (2), Serbia, def. Jeremy Chardy, France, 6-2, 6-3. Doubles quarter-finals:
Frantisek Cermak, Czech Republic, and Michal Mertinak, Slovakia, def. Daniel Nestor, Canada, and Nenad Zimonjic (1), Serbia, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5).
Mahesh Bhupathi, India, and Max Mirnyi (4), Belarus, def. Sergiy Stakhovsky, Ukraine, and Mikhail Youzhny, Russia, 4-6, 6-4, 10-3 tiebreak.
Bob and Mike Bryan (2), United States, def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, Germany, and Gael Monfils, France, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2. AP
