Gritty Nadal battles into Shanghai semifinals

Shanghai : Rafael Nadal will play Marin Cilic in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters on Saturday after the world number one was forced to fight past Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3.

The Spaniard, who has never won the Shanghai showpiece, is chasing a seventh title in a brilliant season and a hat-trick of triumphs on the trot, having been crowned US Open and China Open champion in recent weeks.

The 16-time Grand Slam winner saw off the Bulgarian Dimitrov in Beijing last week but suffered some hairy moments in getting the better of him again in a nervy quarter-final played in overcast conditions.

Top seed Nadal, 31, grabbed the crucial break of serve in the ninth game of the first set and there was nothing between them as they entered a tense second-set tie break.

Nadal got the mini-break for a 3-0 lead in the tie break, but sixth seed Dimitrov scrapped back to level, and then stunned the Spaniard to clinch the tie break.

The two friends headed into a deciding set with Dimitrov in the ascendancy and the pro-Nadal crowd fearing an upset.

Dimitrov sensed another opportunity in the fifth game of the third set, but Nadal survived the break point.

Nadal took the momentum into the next game to immediately break Dimitrov and finally end the Bulgarian’s resolve.

The Spaniard’s victory march was only momentarily held up when a disturbance broke out in the crowd and the players were forced to wait as a small group of spectators was escorted out of the arena.