Rafael Nadal has been knocked out of the Monte Carlo Masters after suffering a shock 6-4, 6-2 defeat to Fabio Fognini in the semifinals.
It is the second upset in as many days at the Masters with world No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic eliminated in the previous round.
Fognini produced a sensational display to take the first set and although Nadal momentarily fought back from 5-0 down in the second, the Italian secured the memorable victory in 1 hour and 36 minutes.
Earlier, Dusan Lajovic staged a remarkable comeback from 5-1 down to beat No. 10 seed Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-1 to book his place in the final on Sunday.
Lajovic won 10 straight games to open up a 4-0 lead in the second set before Medvedev finally held serve. But after saving one match point, the Russian player tamely hit a return long on his opponent’s next opportunity.
The Serbian will feature in his first Masters final and he is the lowest-ranked Monte-Carlo finalist since 2001.
“It was an incredible match today,” said Lajovic. “I had the worst nightmare, falling down 5-1. But I won 10 games in a row, so I was able to find my rhythm and my game. In windy conditions like today, it was impossible to play real tennis and in the end I was able to hit my forehands better than him. I’m still unaware of my achievement in Monte-Carlo.”
Information from Associated Press contributed to this article.