( CNN ) -- Rafael Nadal 's `` King of Clay '' crown may have slipped a little this year , but the world No . 1 is not giving up his reign without a fight . Having suffered shock quarterfinal defeats in his former strongholds of Monte Carlo and Barcelona , the Spanish tennis star rallied to retain his Madrid title -- and on Friday he battled back from the brink of defeat in Rome to reach the semifinals . Two-time defending champion Nadal overcame Andy Murray in three sets , having been thrashed in the opener and then trailed 4-2 in the decider before prevailing 1-6 3-6 7-5 in two hours and 40 minutes . As a measure of his recent struggles , it was the first time since 2005 that Nadal had been taken the distance in three consecutive matches on his favorite surface at the same tournament . Murray , seeking to regain the form that took him to second in the rankings , had been poised for his first win over Nadal on clay but the seventh-seeded Brit ultimately failed to press home his advantage . Nadal , seeking his eighth title in the Italian capital , will next face Grigor Dmitrov on Saturday . The 14th-ranked Bulgarian celebrated his 23rd birthday with easy passage against German veteran Tommy Haas , who retired with a shoulder injury after losing the first set 6-2 . `` I 'm just a happy birthday birth today , '' said Dimitrov , who received a cake in the face after the match courtesy of his coach . World No . 2 Novak Djokovic also battled into the semifinals , beating Nadal 's Monte Carlo conqueror David Ferrer 7-5 4-6 6-3 in two hours 32 minutes . `` It was the most physical match I had on clay this year , '' said the Serbian , who will next play Canada 's Milos Raonic . The eighth seed was also taken to three sets by Frenchman Jeremy Chardy -- who upset Roger Federer on Wednesday -- before triumphing 6-3 5-7 6-2 . In the women 's draw , world No . 1 Serena Williams set up a semifinal with former top-ranked Serbian Ana Ivanovic . The American defending champion defeated China 's Shuai Zhang 6-1 6-3 , while 11th seed Ivanovic followed up her win over two-time Rome winner Maria Sharapova by beating Spain 's Carla Suarez Navarro 6-4 3-6 6-4 . Ivanovic 's only win over 17-time grand slam champion Williams came at January 's Australian Open , but the 2008 French Open winner then lost to young Canadian Eugenie Bouchard in the quarterfinals . World No . 2 Li Na suffered a 6-3 4-6 6-2 loss against Italy 's 2012 French Open runner-up Sara Errani , who will next play Jelena Jankovic in her home event . Ivanovic 's compatriot , also a former No . 1 , upset Polish third seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4 6-4 to give herself a chance of reaching the final for the third time . Jankovic , still seeking her first grand slam title , was Rome champion in 2007-08 and losing finalist in 2010 .
Defending champion Rafael Nadal wins through to semifinals of Rome Masters . Spaniard battles back to stay unbeaten on clay against Rome 's Rafael Nadal . Second -ranked Novak Djokovic also through to 2007-08 's last-four matches . Women 's No . 1 Andy Murray progresses but Second -ranked Li Na loses .