Former world number one Maria Sharapova reached the Italian Open semi-finals after fighting back to beat reigning French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

Sharapova, 31, won 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 7-5 against the 20-year-old Latvian, taking her third match point to end a gripping contest which lasted over three hours.

She will play world number one Simona Halep or Caroline Garcia in the semis.

Ukraine’s fourth seed Elina Svitolina will play Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit in the other last-four match.

Svitolina won 6-4 6-4 against Germany’s two-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber, while Kontaveit knocked out Danish second seed Caroline Wozniacki with a 6-3 6-1 victory.

Wozniacki’s defeat means Romania’s Halep will remain top of the rankings if she beats French seventh seed Garcia later on Friday.

Sharapova missed two match points against the dogged Ostapenko, who is ranked sixth in the world, before sealing a victory which means the Russian is set to be seeded at the French Open later this month.

The five-time Slam winner, who is projected to be inside the world’s top 32 next week, has not been seeded at a major since returning from a 15-month doping ban last year.

“It’s great to back at this stage,” she said after beating Ostapenko.

“My fans have been so loyal throughout the years and for me to be able to produce this kind of tennis again in front of them is very special.”

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Andy Murray has not asked for a wildcard into next week’s ATP Challenger event in Loughborough.

The double Wimbledon champion, 31, has not played competitively since Wimbledon last year and had an operation on his right hip in January.

It is thought the Scot had initially targeted the new event, which begins on Monday, to start his comeback.

The BBC understands a recent setback has left his chances of playing on grass this summer in some doubt.

Murray, who has not spoken publicly about his recovery, said in January he would only return to competition when completely fit and ready.

British players James Ward, Edward Corrie, Lloyd Glasspool and Luke Bambridge have been awarded wild cards into the main draw.

Dan Evans, who recently returned from a one-year ban for taking cocaine, will be in the qualifying event.

The tournament will be staged on the ATP Challenger Tour, the level below the ATP World Tour, with a prize fund of $100,000 (£72,000).

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Rafael Nadal reached his first Italian Open semi-final since 2014 with a hard-fought victory against home player Fabio Fognini in Rome.

The Spanish world number two won 4-6 6-1 6-2 to set up a last-four clash with either Novak Djokovic or Kei Nishikori.

Croatian fourth seed Marin Cilic won his quarter-final 6-3 6-3 against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta.

Serbia’s 12-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic meets Japan’s Nishikori later on Friday.

German second seed and defending champion Alexander Zverev, who beat British number one Kyle Edmund in the last 16, faces Belgium David Goffin.

Seven-time champion Nadal needs to win the Masters title to reclaim the world number one spot from Roger Federer.

Fognini, ranked 21st in the world, fought back from a 4-1 deficit to take the first set, but could not sustain that level of play as Nadal’s quality shone through.

Nadal, who has lost twice to Fognini on clay, took his second match point to win in two hours and 14 minutes.

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Britain’s Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid won the men’s doubles at the Japan Open wheelchair tennis tournament.

The top-seeded pair defeated Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez and Shingo Kunieda of Japan 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.

Reid will play again in Saturday’s men’s singles final against Kunieda after beating Hewett in the last four.

Britain’s Lucy Shuker and Dutch partner Aniek van Koot lost 1-6 6-2 6-2 in the women’s doubles final to Yui Kamiji of Japan and Italy’s Giulia Capocci.

Reid versus Kunieda will be a repeat of the 2015 final, which the Japanese player won.

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