ROTTERDAM, Netherlands — Top-ranked Rafael Nadal withstood 26 aces from Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4 and earn a semifinals berth at the ABN Amro today.

Despite Tsonga's flurry of aces, Nadal had the only break chances in the first and second sets. He converted one chance in the first, and missed two in the second, losing the set in a tiebreaker.

Nadal jumped 2-0 ahead in the third set, and while he finally lost a serve, he couldn't be caught in a match that lasted 2 hours, 41 minutes.

"Tsonga has an unbelievable good service. It was really heavy," Nadal said.

Next up will be fifth-seeded Gael Monfils, who beat French compatriot Julien Benneteau 7-6 (4), 6-1. Monfils beat Nadal for the first time last month in the Doha quarterfinals.

The Australian Open champion will meet Gael Monfils or Julien Benneteau, who met late Friday in an all-French quarterfinal.

Earlier, second-seeded Andy Murray advanced after Marc Gicquel of France retired with a thigh injury with the Scot leading 7-6 (2), 4-6, 3-0.

Murray will meet unseeded Mario Ancic in the last four after the Croat won 6-4, 6-2 over Mikhail Youzhny of Russia.

Gicquel, a lucky loser as a last-minute replacement for injured Swede Robin Soderling, matched Murray shot for shot through the first two sets but called for the trainer and had his left thigh bandaged after the ninth game of the second set.

The Frenchman still managed to break Murray to take the set, but the Scot immediately broke him twice in the third before Gicquel gave up.

"It's never good to end a match like this," Murray said. "It was a good match with lots of chances. I was very pleased with my service."

Ancic, the runner-up last week in Zagreb, Croatia, reached the ABN Amro final in 2005 and won the Den Bosch tournament on grass in 2005 and 2006.

"I wish I could play in the Netherlands every week," he said. "My results here are great."