London, England (Sports Network) - Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga upset French Open champion Rafael Nadal, while former Queen's Club titlists Andy Murray and Andy Roddick posted quarterfinal victories Friday at the $1 million Aegon Championships, a grass-court Wimbledon tuneup.
The fifth-seeded Tsonga dominated the third set to notch a 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-1 come-from-behind victory over the world No. 1 and 2008 Queen's Club winner Nadal. Tsonga swatted 25 aces en route to victory, his second in seven career tries against Nadal.
The reigning Wimbledon, U.S. Open and French Open champion Nadal was fresh off his second straight and sixth overall title at Roland Garros. The Spanish slugger bested his great rival Roger Federer in this past Sunday's finale in Paris.
Nadal was riding a nine-match overall winning streak.
Tsonga's semifinal opponent on Saturday will be upstart British wild card James Ward.
Meanwhile, a second-seeded Murray advanced to the final four without even lifting his racquet on Day 5, as eighth-seeded Croat Marin Cilic pulled out of their scheduled quarterfinal affair because of an ankle injury.
The 2009 Queen's Club champion Murray, who lost to Nadal in last week's French Open semis, will battle the third-seeded Roddick in a marquee final-four tilt here on Saturday.
The four-time Queen's Club champion Roddick blew past seventh-seeded Spanish lefthander Fernando Verdasco 6-2, 6-2 in a mere 65 minutes in a rain- interrupted affair.
Roddick will meet the Australian Open runner-up Murray for a 10th time at the ATP level, with the Brit holding a 6-3 advantage in their lifetime series. The American beat Murray in the quarterfinals here at The Queen's Club three years ago.
The former U.S. Open champion Roddick captured this traditional London event from 2003-05 and again in 2007.
The aforementioned Ward was forced into double duty on Friday.
The third round concluded when the 216th-ranked Brit upended 13th-seeded and defending Queen's Club titlist Sam Querrey 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a bout that was suspended here on Thursday night after two sets due to insufficient light.
Querrey beat Mardy Fish in last year's all-American London finale.
The 24-year-old Ward then dismissed France's Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-7 (14-16), 6-4 in 2 hours, 7 minutes in Day 5's quarterfinal nightcap.
This week's champion will take home $113,000.
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