Rotterdam, Netherlands  - Top seed Rafael Nadal reached his first semi-final at the ABN-AMRO World Tennis on Friday as Jo- Wilfried Tsonga set up match point with a double fault after serving 26 aces.

Nadal, who has gone the distance in all three of his matches, earned a 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4 victory, taking just under three hours.

"This was definitely my best match of the week," said the Spaniard, who came here after his Australian Open title with just three days off. "Tsonga was extremely tough. This was a very important win for me."

Nadal grabbed a 2-0 lead in the third set but lost it a game later. Tsonga's serving error in the tenth game, which set up the Nadal match point, finally made the winning difference for the Spanish world number one.

Andy Murray takes a 1-3 record into his Saturday semi-final with Mario Ancic after advancing when French opponent Marc Giquel was unable to continue because of injury.

The second-seeded Scot won 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 3-0 when Giquel had to retire with a left thigh problem.

Ancic and Murray will meet in a repeat of the Marseille final exactly a year ago, in which the Briton scored his only victory in the series with his Croatian rival before losing two more times in 2008.

Ancic is into his second consecutive semi-final after last week in Zagreb. He reached the final four with a 6-4, 6-2 win against 2007 Rotterdam winner Mikhail Youzhny of Russia.

After getting his thigh taped at 4-all in the second it was just a matter of time for Giquel, who retired after going down a double break in the third.

"It's sad that it had to end this way," said Murray, who began his season with the Doha title in January. "It was a very good match, we both played pretty well.

Murray later repeated his call for a change in the new drug- testing system for players, which requires them to provide information about their location for one hour per day every day of the year.

"At least 95 percent of players are against the system. We're not against drug testing, we're against having to report your location every single day.

"If everyone signed something (to protest) maybe something could be changed. I don't see them banning 90 of the top 100 players."

Ancic is fighting back to form after several seasons of illness (glandular fever) and injury.

The number 28 has a special affinity for Holland, where he has won two of three career titles and played a Rotterdam semi-final in 2005 against Roger Federer.

But with his fitness and desire back, the sky's the limit for the newly optimistic Croatian. "I really believe that it's all behind me now. It now up to the hard work and the comeback.

"I'm full of confidence right now. I don't want to stop tomorrow, I want to keep it going."

Ancic managed nine aces and saved all seven break points he faced against number 62 Youzhny. (dpa)