BARCELONA, May 3: Rafael Nadal survived an early scare at the Barcelona Open on Friday to beat Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela 6-4, 6-2 for a place in the semi-finals.

The top seed, trying to win the title for the fourth successive time, looked off-colour early on to trail 4-2 but roared back to clinch the match.

He will next meet unseeded German Denis Gremelmayr, who edged out another Spaniard, 10th seed Nicolas Almagro 6-2, 3-6, 7-6.

Nadal conceded just four games to the Argentine the last time they met but Chela began superbly, taking risks and putting the top seed under rare pressure.

Chela broke the Nadal serve to love to lead 4-2 but the match effectively hinged on an epic seventh game.

Chela had five chances to extend his lead to 5-2 but Nadal suddenly sprung to life, taking his third break-point chance to get back on terms.

He broke again two games later before serving out the set and after breaking the Argentine in the first game of the second set, he eased to victory.

Second seed David Ferrer came through his second tough battle in as many days to reach the semi-finals, beating Spanish compatriot Tommy Robredo 7-6, 6-4.

The world No 5, pushed hard by Ecuadorian Nicolas Lapentti in the previous round, battled past the sixth seed in a match lasting two hours, five minutes.

He will play 14th seed Stanislas Wawrinka for a place in the final after the Swiss fought off the challenge of another Spaniard, Albert Montanes, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4.

Wawrinka held match point in the second-set tiebreak, but the Spanish world No 87 hit back to force a decider.

Montanes then fought back from 5-2 down in the third set to be back on serve at 5-4, only to lose his serve again as the Swiss claimed victory after two hours, 46 minutes.

Friday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Quarter-finals: Denis Gremelmayr (Germany) bt 10-Nicholas Almagro (Spain) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (9-7); 1-Rafael Nadal (Spain) bt Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina) 6-4, 6-2; 2-David Ferrer (Spain) bt 6-Tommy Robredo (Spain) 7-6 (7-4), 6-4; 14-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) bt Albert Montanes (Spain) 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4.

MATHIEU IN SEMIS

MUNICH (Germany): Top-seeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu reached the semi-finals of the Munich Open on Friday with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win over Croatian teenager Marin Cilic.

The world No 18 will face 22-year-old Italian Simone Bolelli in Saturday’s semi-final. Bolelli converted his two break point opportunities to edge Lee Hyung-taik of South Korea 6-4, 7-6.

In the other half of the draw, second-seeded Fernando Gonzalez of Chile dismissed former world No 1 Marat Safin 6-3, 7-5.

He faces Moroccan Younes El Aynaoui, who beat Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina 6-3, 6-4.

El Aynaoui was ranked as high as 14th in the world in 2003 but is now 295th in the standings. Playing in his first ATP event in over a year, the Moroccan will be bidding to reach his first main tour final since 2003.

Results:

Quarter-finals: 1-Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) bt 8-Marin Cilic (Croatia) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3; Simone Bolelli (Italy) bt Lee Hyung-Taik (South Korea) 6-4, 7-6 (7-3); Younes El Aynaoui (Morocco) bt Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) 6-4, 6-4; 2-Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) bt Marat Safin (Russia) 6-3, 7-5.—Reuters