Czech Tomas Berdych overpowered world No. 4 Andy Murray in their Monte Carlo Masters quarterfinal Friday to set up a clash with top seed Novak Djokovic. The sixth seed relied on his powerful forehand to prevail 6-7, 6-2, 6-3 over the Briton in the season's first big claycourt event. Djokovic thrashed Dutchman Robin Haase 6-4, 6-2 in 77 minutes. Rafael Nadal is still on track to clinch a record eighth consecutive title after seeing off Stanislas Wawrinka 7-5, 6-4. He will take on France's Gilles Simon, the ninth seed, who upset comnpatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga by the same scoreline. Berdych, who reached the semifinal of the Mediterranean glamor tournament in 2007, was eager to face the Serbian world No. 1. “It's a day to play the No. 1 player in the world, which is always great. It's a semifinal, which is fantastic,” Berdych told a news conference. “But still, I want to play my best tennis and I want to do well.” On a chilly morning, Murray grabbed the opening set as Berdych wasted four set-point chances in the 12th game before faltering in the tie-break. As the sun eventually shone and the sea glittered, the world No. 7 tightened his grip and hit numerous winners to unsettle a frustrated Murray, who now has a 2-4 win-loss record against Berdych. “He played extremely well today. He dictated a lot of the points. He went for his shots. He served very well, I think, too,” Murray told reporters. The Scot — who spent most of the match far behind his baseline — struggled with his footwork and made unusual errors, including a backhand smash which went wide to grant Berdych a decisive break in the third set's third game. “There are a lot of things I would have liked to have done better,” added Murray, who was playing his first clay event this season. “It takes a lot of time for me to do it on this surface. It doesn't come straightaway. It takes time for me to understand the way I'm needing to play.” Djokovic, who had to control his emotions Thursday to move past Alexandr Dolgopolov a few hours after learning of his grandfather's death, moved more easily past 55-ranked Haase. The packed crowd gave the Australian, Wimbledon and US Open champion an ovation and stayed supportive throughout the match. Holder Nadal had to work hard to fend off a relentless Wawrinka and earn his 40th victory in a row in the principality where he has been unbeaten since 2005. “It was a difficult match,” said the world No. 2, who reached the semifinals without dropping a set. “He arrived to the match playing I think great. Yesterday and today, I improved the level.” He will meet Simon, who defeated back-to-back Top-10 members for the first time in his career to be the first Frenchman to book a spot in the last four since Richard Gasquet in 2005.
