AP
 
Chennai, Jan 6: Third-seeded Xavier Malisse of Belgium overcame a jittery second set Friday to defeat sixth-seeded Frenchman Fabrice Santoro and set up a semifinal contest in the Chennai Open against world No. 2 Rafael Nadal, who is seeking his first title in seven months.

World-ranked 37th Malisse, 26, prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 in the quarterfinal against the seasoned Santoro that featured nine service breaks, three of them by the winner before his rival begun spraying his shots wide in all directions during the final set.

Santoro, 34, ranked 52nd in the world, this week began his 19th year on the ATP Tour.

Malisse will Saturday meet top-seeded Nadal of Spain, who hammered Italian Davide Sanguinetti 6-3, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.

Nadal has not won a title since his triumph in the French Open last year, but has launched the new season by advancing to the semifinals in this southern Indian city without dropping a set.

Malisse said he was looking forward to playing Nadal on the Nungambakkam Stadium's hardcourt surface.

''I've only played him once and lost. That was on clay and everybody loses of Nadal on clay, but it should be a good match on the hard surface here,'' said Malisse.

''You practice in the offseason to prepare yourself to play against the big players,'' Malisse said, asserting that he was ready for the contest.

''I really have nothing to lose, if I don't win no one will say a thing to me because he is expected to call the shots. So all the pressure will be on Nadal,'' he said.

Malisse said he was improving with every outing and the contest against Santoro was his best was far.

''Everyone will be looking at the few errors, but they occurred because I played more aggressively,'' he said.

Santoro, the longest surviving player on the circuit after starting in 1989, was presented a plaque — for his sportsmanship — by former Indian Davis Cup captain Vijay Amritraj.

''For me tennis isn't about winning but for presenting a good image of yourself and your country to the world,'' Santoro said.

''I think I've still got a lot of tennis in me,'' said Santoro.