RIO DE JANEIRO: Claycourt king Rafael Nadal battled into the early hours as he reached the semi-finals of the Rio Open after beating Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas on Saturday.
Nadal, who will bid this season for a tenth Roland Garros crown, came through 4-6, 7-5, 6-0 in two hours and six minutes, after Cuevas was fastest out of the blocks in a contest lasting until 3:20 am (0520 GMT).
The late finish infuriated the world number three and defending champion, who complained of having to start a match at just after 1:00 am.
"I know it is not the fault of the tournament. It is the fault of the ATP wanting to change a match over (to a different court).
"If it were a Grand Slam where you get a day and a half (between matches), then okay," Nadal said afterwards, reflecting that he would have to be back in action again Saturday evening.
"I am going to go off to bed and we'll see if I have recovered" for a meeting with Italian world number 28 Fabio Fognini.
Fognini had kept Nadal waiting to enter the center court fray as he beat Argentine Federico Delbonis 6-4, 6-7 (10/12), 7-6 (11/9) in a three-hour marathon.
Nadal had seen off fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta and Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci to set up his meeting with Cuevas, but the Mallorcan's ring rustiness showed as he conceded the opening set in 44 minutes.
After trading early breaks, Cuevas broke in the ninth game and although the challenger spurned a triple set point he closed out the fourth opportunity on 44 minutes.
Also advancing was second seeded Spaniard David Ferrer who battled past Argentine Juan Monaco 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in just over two hours on court at the Jockey Club in hot sunshine.
Young topples third-seeded Dolgopolov
In Delray Beach, Florida, Donald Young toppled third-seeded Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Friday to book a semi-final showdown with Australian Bernard Tomic at the ATP Delray Beach Open.
Young, ranked 56th in the world, withstood 11 aces from the 24th-ranked Dolgopolov in a match lasting one hour and 56 minutes.
"I thought I fought well," said the American, who remains in search of a first ATP tour title. "I didn't start off the way I wanted to. He was playing pretty well, hitting through the wind and controlling his shots quite good. I decided to buckle down, fight, go out swinging and got a little more not so conservative and it happened to work."
Young reached his fifth tour-level semi-final and his second in as many weeks after making the final four at Memphis.
Tomic, playing his fourth quarter-final of the season, ended the run of 19-year-old Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 6-1.
Tomic saved all seven break points he faced to dismiss the 154th-ranked Nishioka in less than an hour.
French fifth seed Adrian Mannarino moved a step closer to a first ATP title with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun, who had toppled top-seeded South African Kevin Anderson en route to the quarter-finals.
Mannarino said he struggled early in chilly, windy conditions.
"Finally, in the second set, I tried just to focus on my legs and move better and try to be more consistent," the 26-year-old lefthander said.
Mannarino will face fourth-seeded Croatian Ivo Karlovic, who fired 17 aces in a 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) victory over seventh-seeded American Steve Johnson.
Nadal survives to reach Rio semifinals
