Former world number three David Nalbandian, who has missed the past six Grand Slam events with injuries, reached his first ATP semi-final in 18 months on Friday at the Washington Classic. The 117th-ranked Argentine rallied to oust Frenchman Gilles Simon 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 and will play for a spot in Sunday's hardcourt final against Croatian fourth seed Marin Cilic, who beat Serbian Janko Tipsarevic 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.
Nalbandian was sidelined nine months after hip surgery, made a brief return early this year, then missed two months with a sore hamstring before returning in July to help Argentina advance to the Davis Cup semi-finals. "I feel good," Nalbandian said. "I will just try to keep believing in my game and play the best I can."