Rafael Nadal suffered a shock exit at the semi-finals of the 2019 Monte Carlo Masters on Saturday, going down in straight sets to 13th seed Fabio Fognini.

The defending champion had won his past 18 matches at the event but follows top seed Novak Djokovic, who was beaten in the quarter-finals on Friday, out of the tournament.

Fognini produced a superb display and goes on to play the unseeded Dusan Lajovic in Sunday's final. The Serb beat Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in their last-four clash.

Saturday's Results

(13) Fabio Fognini bt. (2) Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-2

Dusan Lajovic bt. (10) Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-1

Sunday Schedule

Dusan Lajovic vs. (13) Fabio Fognini, not before 2:30 p.m. local time/1:30 p.m. BST/8:30 a.m. ET

Saturday Recap

Nadal's bid to win a 12th title at Monte Carlo ended on Sunday after Fognini pulled off a major shock by dumping out the defending champion.

Fognini broke Nadal in a lengthy first game of the match to lead 1-0 after 12 minutes.

However, the Spaniard then hit straight back, with a weak backhand into the net by the Italian levelling at 1-1.

Both players traded breaks in an entertaining first set before Fognini broke to love at 5-4 and then managed to serve it out to take the first set:

Fognini was dominant in the second set and came close to handing Nadal a bagel. The second seed had to save match points at 5-0 before finally winning his first game of the set.

The Spaniard managed to hold serve afterwards to prompt brief hope of a comeback, but Fognini served it out the second time around to book his place in the final.

Tennis writer Christopher Clarey shared the key match statistics:

The result is a big shock and will raise questions over Nadal's form and fitness ahead of May's French Open, where he will be bidding to win the title for the 12th time.

Lajovic shrugged off a slow start to secure his spot in his first ATP Masters 1000 final in one hour and 35 minutes against Medvedev:

The Russian took advantage of some early errors from his opponent to race into a 5-1 lead and looked in good shape to take the opening set.

However, Medvedev started to struggle with his serve in the windy conditions, while Lajovic began to find his range and cut the deficit:

The 28-year-old went on to win the next six games in a row to claim the first set 7-5.

Lajovic's momentum continued into the second as he raced into a 4-0 lead. Medvedev finally managed to stem the tide at 5-1, but there was no denying Lajovic a place in the final:

Medvedev saw off both Stefanos Tsitsipas and Djokovic on his way to the last four, but it's Lajovic, who is still yet to drop a set at the tournament, who progresses to Sunday's final against Fognini.