Monfils takes tough win at Japan Open

TOKYO, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Gael Monfils survived a three-set battle Friday with second-seeded Andy Roddick and advanced to the semifinals of the Japan Open tennis tournament.

Monfils, seeded fifth, didn't record a break -- Roddick saved all 10 break points he faced -- but edged through 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 7-6 (8-6). Monfils fought off two of the three break points against him.

Monfils pounded 16 aces at Roddick and won 75 percent of the points on serve.

He'll go against Radek Stepanek in Saturday's semifinals. While Monfils worked through a tough 2-hour, 56-minute match, Stepanek didn't step on the court Friday. He advanced on a walkover when Jarkko Nieminen was ill and couldn't play.

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal sailed through his quarterfinal victory, defeating Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 6-1 in just 73 minutes. Nadal took 60 percent of the points in the match and countered his one service break with five breaks in the 10 games Tursunov served.

He moves into the semifinals against Viktor Troicki, against whom he is 3-0 and hasn't lost a set. Troicki capped the quarterfinal play in Tokyo with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Troicki fired 14 aces and has 40 in his three matches this week.