Monte Carlo Masters: Rafael Nadal dispatches Stan Wawrinka to reach semis

Rafael Nadal

Monte Carlo, April 15 (IANS) Eight-time champion Rafael Nadal will face Andy Murray in the semi-finals of the Monte-Carlo Masters tennis tournament after sweeping past 2014 winner Stan Wawrinka 6-1, 6-4 on Friday.

It will be the third time that Nadal and Murray meet in the semi-finals at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, with Nadal winning their contests in 2009 and 2011.

Nadal leads their overall head-to-head meetings 16-6, but it was Murray who won their last clay-court meeting, in the Madrid final last year.

Murray defeated Milos Raonic 6-2, 6-0 in 66 minutes earlier on Friday.

The 29-year-old Nadal is looking to win the Monte-Carlo crown for the ninth time this week. The Spaniard set a tournament record 46-match winning run as he claimed eight straight titles from 2005-2012, before his streak ended in the 2013 final against World No.1 Novak Djokovic.

Nadal passed a stern test in Dominic Thiem in the third round on Thursday and raised his level yet again when faced with the fourth-seeded Wawrinka, who captured his first Masters crown in Monte-Carlo in 2014.

The Spaniard improved to a 15-3 career head to head record over Wawrinka as he sped to victory in 68 minutes. Nadal broke serve four times and won 73 per cent of his service points as he notched his 56th victory in Monte-Carlo.