Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters 2016: Saturday Tennis Scores, Results, Latest Schedule

Rafael Nadal dropped the first set against Andy Murray on Saturday before fighting back to earn a place in the 2016 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters final. It's merely the latest promising sign for the suddenly revitalized nine-time French Open champion.

He'll be joined in the championship match by Gael Monfils, who defeated French countryman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the other semifinal. Monfils is certainly the underdog Sunday given Nadal's current form and his 2-11 record in previous meetings with the "King of Clay."

Let's check out the complete set of scores from Saturday's play at the Monte Carlo Country Club. That's followed by a recap of the action and an early look toward Sunday's title clash.

Saturday Results and Recap

Round	Winning Player	Losing Player	Result
Semifinals	(5) Rafael Nadal	(2) Andy Murray	2-6, 6-4, 6-2
Semifinals	(13) Gael Monfils	(8) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga	6-1, 6-3

Murray carried over the positive vibes from his domination of Milos Raonic in the quarterfinals to the first set against Nadal. He controlled rallies from the baseline and tried to wear down Nadal by making him chase down a lot of shots, earning a couple late breaks in the set as a result.

Yet, in perhaps the most encouraging development of the event for Nadal, his body showed no signs of failing him despite the physical nature of the match. The flashes of past success have often been offset by various injury concerns in recent years. That hasn't been the case in Monte Carlo.

They way Nadal played over the final two sets better resembled the player who swept aside Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem in the prior rounds with relative ease. He also looked more like somebody truly capable of contending at the French Open in May.

TennisTV provided a glimpse of vintage Nadal during his comeback:

He's always a shot-maker capable of turning defense into offense with a simple flick of the wrist. That said, the difference between the Grand Slam champion version of Nadal and the one who's failed to advance beyond a major quarterfinal since 2014 is consistent movement throughout a match.

When he's able to play top-tier defense for three sets without suffering a drop off due to fatigue or injury, he's still one of the best players in the world.

Christopher Clarey of the New York Times noted the full variety was on display Saturday:

David Law of BT Sport noticed the superstar's endless desire to battle is also making a return:

Although Murray's play did fade slightly after the first set, he didn't perform poorly the rest of the way by any stretch. Nadal just seized the opportunity and ran with it. The event as a whole is still a net positive for the Scottish sensation after a stretch of lackluster play since the Australian Open.

Afterward, Nadal said he's starting to grow tired about all of the discussion about where he stands compared to the past, per Reem Abulleil of Sport 360.

"I don't want to talk every day about if I am back or I am not back … Is something that I don't think about," Nadal said. "I am what I am today."

The second semifinal wasn't nearly as competitive. In fact, it's performances like the one Monfils put together to cruise past Tsonga that make you wonder why he never developed into a bigger threat on the Grand Slam stage.

He possesses all of the necessary tools, highlighted by his athleticism and creative shot-making ability, to compete with the top players. But sometimes he gets caught up in the moment and loses focus, which is something he can't afford to do against Nadal in the final.

Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times spotlighted the more reliable nature of Monfils:

The 29-year-old veteran will at least give himself a chance of pulling off the upset if he plays as well as he did against Tsonga. He put consistent pressure on his counterpart, who had no answers.

TennisTV passed along the final statistics, including a high unforced-error count for Tsonga:

It was a sharp drop off from the solid player who knocked off Roger Federer in three sets to book his place in the semifinals. Full credit goes to Monfils for noticing the opening early in the match and taking over before his countryman could settle in, though.

The result sets up an intriguing matchup between two players trending in the right direction heading into a busy spring and summer schedule. Winning the title would do a lot to further bolster the confidence both Nadal and Monfils have gained throughout the week.

Sunday Schedule and Preview

Round	Matchup	Time (ET)
Championship	(5) Rafael Nadal vs. (13) Gael Monfils	8:30 a.m.

Quite simply, Sunday's match is Nadal's to lose. He's played inspired tennis throughout the week and, even though winning the title probably wouldn't make him the French Open favorite, it would definitely make him a serious part of the conversation once again.

He can't afford to look past Monfils, though. While he's dominated the career head-to-head matchups, the talented Frenchman is playing some of his best tennis this season and looked like a man on a mission in the semifinals.

Hassan Cheema of PTV Sports explained the different vibe around the encounter compared to when they were young players on the ascent, before ultimately diverging onto different paths:

The most important factor for Nadal is getting off to a better start than he did Saturday. If he lets Monfils work his way into the match with an early break, giving him legitimate hope of the upset, the rest of the match becomes far more difficult.

Ultimately, it's extremely difficult to pick against Nadal on clay when he's playing this well. Expect him to grind out another victory, which would give him his first title of the season and vastly improve his outlook for the rest of the clay-court campaign.