Murray sees off Monfils in another five set epic

Murray, seeded seventh after his absence due to back surgery, won the first two sets and seemed en route to a comfortable victory before Frenchman Monfils, roared on by the home crowd, battled back to force a fifth set.

But Murray regained his focus and dominated the decider, breaking three times to seal a bagel and reach the last four in Paris for the second time in his career.

"It's going to be a very, very tough match against Rafa and I'll need to recover the best I can and just play my best tennis," said Murray.

"It's always difficult to play against a good friend like Gael, someone I've known since I was 10.

"The conditions were windy, it was slow and heavy and I started well but when the wind calmed down he played some very aggressive tennis and not many players move better on the tour.

"He started the fifth set badly and I guess I was lucky at the end and I'm just delighted to be in the semi-finals."

Murray has already negotiated a five-setter, beating Philipp Kohlschreiber in a match that ran over two days. This time he needed just the early evening session, but - having had back surgery last year - will be hoping to recover in time for Friday's semis.

That back injury ruled Murray out of last year's French Open, with a rest period allowing him to claim his first Wimbledon title.

This time Murray seems close to his best - reaching the semis in Paris is considered an achievement for a man who is significantly more effective on hard surfaces.

He controlled play from the baseline in the first set, although the 23rd seed Monfils gave home fans hope with some returns from improbable angles.

The Scot stormed to a 5-1 lead in the second, but took eight set points to close it out after the game was halted when a ball dropped out of Murray's pocket during play, sending both players to lobby the umpire before Murray conceded the point.

That seemed to rattle Murray, whose game collapsed in the third and fourth sets as Monfils showed wonderful flair and athleticism to get back into the match.

But, with light fading after the start of play was delayed by rain, Murray was keen to avoid another rollover and rattled through the final stanza.

Lying in wait for the British number one is the world's best player and defending champion Rafael Nadal, who beat David Ferrer in four sets to continue his march to the final.

7-Andy Murray (Britain) beat 23-Gael Monfils (France) 6-4 6-1 4-6 1-6 6-0

1-Rafa Nadal (Spain) beat 5-David Ferrer (Spain) 4-6 6-4 6-0 6-1