Gael Monfils continued his charmed run at the Dubai Championships on Thursday after battling into the semi-finals with a 6-1, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 win over qualifier Ricardas Berankis.

The Frenchman, who came into the tournament in good form after beating Stan Wawrinka in Rotterdam this month to win his eighth career title, will face one of Hubert Hurkacz and Stefanos Tsitsipas in Friday's semi-final after the unexpectedly tight win. Unseeded Monfils, 32, revealed that he needed to get angry with himself to get over the line after missing chances to close out a straight-sets victory when a set up and leading the second 5-4.