Rafael Nadal battled past James Blake in Indian Wells to set up a semi-final meeting with Novak Djokovic.
Nadal, the second seed, defeated Blake 7-5 3-6 6-3 to reach the last four where he will meet the Australian Open champion, who earlier beat Stanislas Wawrinka in straight sets.
The semi-final meeting will be a repeat of last year’s final, which Nadal won 6-2 7-5. The 21-year-old Spaniard has won six of eight career matches against Djokovic.
Nadal needed just over two hours to move on, posting his first victory in four career matches against Blake.
The world number two struggled against Blake’s serve, winning just 23 per cent of first-return points. However, he stepped up when necessary, breaking Blake’s serve on three occasions while saving six out of eight break points.
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