Seven time defending champion Rafael Nadal was made to work hard by Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka but he finally prevailed. Nadal beat Wawrinka 7-5, 6-4 in an hour and 46 minutes to secure a berth in the last 4 of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.

Nadal won the first set 7-5 after exactly an hour. A couple of aces by the defending champion as hit 8 winners and won all net points to get two crucial breaks. He won 78% first serve points and was hugely helped by the 19 errors from the Swiss.

The second set was also a close affair with Nadal holding on to the vital break he got early in the set. With 15 winners and ALL net points won, Nadal was also helped by the 41 unforced errors by Wawrinka. Nadal also won an impressive 82% of the points when his first serve went in, indicating how effective it must have been!

He now waits to face the winner of the clash between two Frenchmen in Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon.