World number one Roger Federer hit top form in Monte Carlo to see off David Nalbandian 5-7 6-2 6-2.

Nalbandian had won half of his previous 16 meetings with Federer, including the last two, and edged the first set without facing a break point.

But Federer hit back in magnificent style, reeling off four games in a row to clinch the second set before sweeping to victory.

The top seed will face Novak Djokovic or Sam Querrey in the last four.

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However, this was by far his most impressive performance.

He lost a tight opening set after 52 minutes, sending a backhand pass wide at the crucial moment.

But after letting a 2-0 lead slip, he regained composure in the second set, winning four games in a row with some outstanding shots, including a stunning drop shot on the run.

He broke again in the sixth game of the decider with a service return into Nalbandian's feet and the Argentine could not recover.

Nikolay Davydenko was the first man to book his place in the semi-finals with a 6-3 4-6 7-5 win over fellow Russian Igor Andreev.

Davydenko will meet the winner of the all-Spanish clash between David Ferrer and Rafael Nadal.

"Maybe I was lucky (to win) this match," said Davydenko, who was broken seven times in the match.

"I think Andreev changed his tactics, started to play the first few games in the second set really slow, just trying to keep the ball in the court and I started to make mistakes."

(BBC)

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