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Nadal survives huge scare before reaching final

Rafael Nadal was pushed hard in Tokyo © Getty Images

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Rafael Nadal survived a huge scare against Victor Troicki at the Japan Open before recording a battling win that booked his place in the final.

The world No. 1 one was forced to save two match points in his protracted 7-6(4) 4-6 7-6(7) victory, which spanned two hours and 39 minutes.

By contrast Gael Monfils, who Nadal will now face in the final, needed a mere 70 minutes to cruise past Radek Stepanek 6-3 6-3.

Nadal has made stuttering progress through the tournament, never looking close to his devastating best, and he struggled to overcome an inspired Troicki. The Russian raised his game against his celebrated opponent, hammering 26 aces with a destructive first-serve performance that threatened to hand him a shock victory.

However, despite winning more points than his opponent during the three sets, it was not to be for Troicki, with Nadal showing all his trademark resilience to force a path to victory.

"I played well in the first set, but then I lost my concentration," Nadal said, adding that his semi-final loss last week in the Thailand Open hurt his confidence. "The season is long and we compete with a lot of pressure, so it is easy to lose your concentration. That is what happened."

Things were rather easier for the mercurial Monfils, who will fancy his chances of upsetting Nadal after producing a stellar display against Stepanek. The athetlic Frenchman was accurate with 83% of his first deliveries, laying a platform for a triumph that he sealed with the minimum of fuss.

At the China Open, top seed Novak Djokovic booked his place in a final against David Ferrer by defeating John Isner 7-6(1) 6-2. Although Isner's service game was typically ferocious, his defence was inadequate as he won just 12 of 53 points against his opponent's serve.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.