They were meeting in the quarter-finals for the second time in a span of just three weeks, but the result would be different this time around. No. 4 seed Stan Wawrinka moved into the BNP Paribas Masters semi-finals on Friday with a tight 7-6(8), 7-6(7) triumph over No. 7 seed Rafael Nadal, avenging his loss to the Spaniard in Shanghai.

It was only Wawrinka’s third win over Nadal in 16 FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters dating back to 2007. However, the World No. 4 has now claimed three out of their past four match-ups. He will next face top seed Novak Djokovic, against whom he is 4-18.  

In a match that stretched beyond 1 a.m. in Paris, Wawrinka would save three set points in the opening set, including two in the tie-break, to move ahead.

With an ill-timed double fault, Nadal would hand Wawrinka his second break of the match and a 4-3 lead in the final set. But with a chance to serve out the match at 5-4, the Magnus Norman-coached 30-year-old couldn’t close. Once again, it would come down to a tie-break, where Wawrinka again saved a set point to pull out an on-the-edge-of-your-seat win in two hours and 20 minutes.

The reigning Roland Garros champion has certainly had success on French soil, but the Swiss is still aiming for the first BNP Paribas Masters title of his career. 

Wawrinka, who improved to a career-best 53-15, finished with 11 aces and converted two of five break-point opportunities in earning the win.

For the first time in a decade, Nadal will go without an ATP Masters 1000 title, having won at least one per year between 2005 and 2014.