MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Kei Nishikori saved five match points to advance into the semi-finals of the ATP and WTA Miami Open yesterday, outlasting Gael Monfils 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3).

Japanese sixth seed Nishikori denied the 16th-seeded Frenchman four times in the 10th game of the final set and again in the 12th before taking the last three tie-breaker points to end a tension-packed thriller after two hours and 29 minutes.

Nishikori, the 2014 US Open runner-up, will play today for a berth in Sunday’s final against the winner of a later match between Australian 24th seed Nick Kyrgios and Canadian 12th seed Milos Raonic.

Top-ranked defending champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays Belgian 15th seed David Goffin in the other semi-final.

The women’s semi-finals began with two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova beating Swiss 19th seed Timea Bacsinszky 7-5, 6-3.

The 30-year-old Russian, who captured the Miami crown a decade ago, will play for the title again Saturday against the winner of a later match between Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber of Germany and former world number one Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

Kuznetsova, who ousted top-ranked Serena Williams in the fourth round, has split eight career matches against Azarenka and owns a 4-3 edge on Kerber in their rivalry.

Monfils has not reached a semi-final since last April at Monte Carlo but he made a spectacular run at it against Nishikori, firing 12 aces and racing across the court throughout the match.

Monfils, 29, broke Nishikori, 26, with a backhand winner to level the final set and held serve to 5-4, then had three match points in the 10th game, only to fire errant backhands each time.

Nishikori rescued a fourth match point in the game with a forehand winner to extend the drama and saved a fifth in the 12th game with a forehand volley winner, setting the stage for the tie-breaker.

Trailing 4-3 in the tie-breaker, Monfils netted a forehand volley and sent another forehand long before Nishikori ended it with a forehand winner.

Monfils hasn’t beaten a top-10 foe since topping second-ranked Roger Federer last year in Monte Carlo.

Nishikori, who beat Monfils in 2014 on Halle grass in their only prior meeting, won his fourth consecutive Memphis title in February for his 11th career ATP crown.