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Tsonga, the 16th seed, triumphed 6-4 0-6 7-5 to set up a
final against either world number one Novak Djokovic or Briton
Andy Murray, who play in the second semi-final later on
Saturday.
The Frenchman fired down 11 aces to record his first win over
Nadal since the 2011 ATP World Tour Finals and give a major
boost to his flagging hopes of qualifying again for the end of
season championships in London.
Nadal, a winner of 14 grand slam singles titles, struggled to
cope with Tsonga in the opening set as the Frenchman pressured
the Spaniard's serve with some heavy hitting.
He secured the break in the fifth game at the third time of
asking but after going on to serve out the set, Tsonga's game
crumbled in the second set as Nadal easily leveled without
dropping a game to force a decider.
Nadal, looking for a first hard court title in almost two years,
was forced to save some early break points but the third set
remained on serve until Tsonga struck in the 11th game of an
enthralling encounter.
The 30-year-old Frenchman produced an eye-catching dive to force
match point, which he converted to reach his first Masters final
since he triumphed in Toronto last year.
(Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore; Editing by John
O'Brien)
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