Rafael Nadal continues bid for 11th French Open title

PARIS --  Rafael Nadal is into the French Open semifinals for the 11th time.

The top-ranked Spaniard completed a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Diego Schwartzman of Argentina over two days Thursday after their quarterfinal was halted by rain on Wednesday night.

Nadal was serving at 5-3, 30-15 after having dropped the first set when play was stopped.

He came back on court in full swing and made Schwartzman run a lot with a combination of deep groundstrokes and subtle drop shots. He was also able to raise his level when in danger, saving three break points in the eighth game of the third set with great shot-making, and four more in the final set.

Nadal is only the third male player in the Open era to reach 11 semifinals at a single Grand Slam, alongside Roger Federer (Australian Open, 14; Wimbledon 12) and Jimmy Connors (US Open, 14; Wimbledon, 11).

The 10-time Roland Garros champion will next face Juan Martin del Potro, who beat  Marin Cilic 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-3, 7-5.

This would be the fifth time that Nadal and Del Potro will meet at a Grand Slam event, with Nadal holding a 3-1 edge. The winner of these meetings ended up in the final each time and won three of the four Slams.

"I don't know if I will win, but I will take a big love from you," an emotional del Potro told the fans during his postmatch interview after returning to the French Open semifinals for the first time since 2009. "That's the most important for me.''

The fifth-seeded del Potro, who lost to Federer in the 2009 semifinals, fought back tears and was loudly cheered by fans at Court Suzanne Lenglen.

"It's tough to speak now,'' the fifth-seeded Argentine player said. "It has been a long time without good feelings. I had three surgeries on my left wrist. I was close to quit.''

Del Potro, who has nine career victories against a world No. 1-ranked player during his career, reached his fifth semifinal of a major. His only Grand Slam victory came in the 2009 US Open against Federer.

During the match, del Potro confronted a spectator after a double fault to drop his serve, giving the third-seeded Cilic a 5-4 lead at a crucial moment in the second set.

Immediately after double-faulting, del Potro turned to the spectator and gestured angrily. He then walked to the box and spoke for a few seconds with the spectator, who looked embarrassed.

Del Potro then exchanged a few words with the umpire and returned to his chair, smashing his racket in anger.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.