MONTECARLO MASTERS
Nadal beats Murray to reach Monte Carlo Masters final
The Spaniard returned to the final of the Monte Carlo Masters for the first time in three years after beating Andy Murray 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday.
Rafael Nadal returned to the final of the Monte Carlo Masters for the first time in three years as the eight-time champion struggled to close out a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Andy Murray on Saturday.
Nadal, who lifted the title in the Principality uninterruptedly from 2005-2012, last lost the 2013 final to Novak Djokovic.
But Spain's fifth-seeded king of clay showed hints of the form which took him to multiple seasons of total dominance on the surface as he overcame second seed Murray in a battle lasting for more than two and a half hours.
It was not all one-way traffic for Nadal, who spent 10 minutes in the final game between his first match points and his fifth in fighting off a late Murray charge.
The 28-year-old Murray saved four Nadal match points and had two break chances of his own before Nadal finally drilled over a winner which the Scot could not quite handle.
Nadal, 29, who has struggled for form in the last 18 months, will bid for a ninth title in the Principality on Sunday against either France's Gael Monfils or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.