Rafael Nadal’s knees were given a stern test as he was pushed all the way by Argentina’s Carlos Berlocq before booking his place in the semi-finals of the Brasil Open.

Top seed Carlos Moya advanced to his first championship match of the season and the 43rd of his career on Saturday as he defeated unseeded Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador, 6-2 3-6 7-6 (7/5) in the Brasil Open semi-finals.