Rafael Nadal outlasted rival Novak Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2) on Saturday to move into the final of the Montreal Masters and a meeting with Milos Raonic.

Raonic became the first Canadian since 1958 to play for the home title after beating compatriot Vasek Pospisil 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-4).

Nadal ran out a dominating final set tiebreaker, earning six match points before Djokovic saved two prior to exiting with a return long over the baseline. He lost a pair of games in the first set on double-faults.

'I tried my best in the tiebreaker,' said Nadal. 'I had to hit some fantastic shots to compete well against a big player like Novak. I’m very, very satisfied.'

Nadal had a brief moment of weakness in the second set as he lost a 40-0 lead in the eighth game to lose serve for 3-5 as Djokovic went onto level the sets.

'You cannot let up against the top players for even a minute,' said the Spaniard.

'It was a very close match, there were very few points that decided the winner,' said the Serb. 'I had my chances. He had his chances, at the end he played better.'