PARIS (REUTERS) - World number one Andy Murray shrugged off a sluggish start to reach his fifth French Open semi-final with a 2-6 6-1 7-6(0) 6-1 defeat of Japan's Kei Nishikori on Wednesday (June 7).

Briton Murray dropped serve twice in the opening set as the gremlins that have dogged his season briefly returned, but he was generally in charge after that against the eighth seed.

Nishikori, who beat Murray in the quarter-finals of last year's US Open, could not sustain his early form and although he courageously forced a third-set tiebreak he lost that 7-0.

Murray, runner-up last year to Novak Djokovic, recovered an early break of serve in the fourth set and reeled off the last six games to set up a repeat of last year's semi-final when he produced a dazzling display to beat Stan Wawrinka.