Russia's Nikolay Davydenko outguns Spaniard Tommy Robredo

PARIS, June 1 (Reuters) - Russia's Nikolay Davydenko outgunned Spaniard Tommy Robredo 3-6 6-1 6-2 4-6 6-4 in a tight contest on Wednesday to reach the semi-finals of the French Open.Davydenko, the 12th seed, will now meet unseeded Mariano Puerta, who won the battle of the Argentines when he beat Guillermo Canas 6-2 3-6 1-6 6-3 6-4 earlier in the day.The Russian, who turns 24 on Thursday, advanced to the semi-finals of a grand slam tournament for the first time and made sure of entering the top 10 when the new rankings are released on Monday."First time in the semi-finals of a grand slam, first time in the top 10 -- this is my birthday present," he said."Right now I'm tired but tomorrow I'll realise what has happened and it will feel good."The two players, who struggled to hold serve throughout the match, had traded early breaks in the decisive set before Davydenko managed the telling one in the seventh game.Robredo, seeded 15th, survived three match points on his serve two games later but the Russian then served for the match and earned a fourth, with the Spaniard hitting a forehand wide to bow out after three hours and 18 minutes of play.A quarter-finalist at this year' Australian Open, Davydenko had never progressed beyond the second round in four previous visits to Roland Garros.However, the Russian with the fierce two-handed backhand had warned he could be dangerous when he ousted last year's runner-up Guillermo Coria of Argentina in the previous round.Robredo, a quarter-finalist here two years ago, failed to disappoint the Russian fans yet again having beaten Marat Safin in five sets in the fourth round.The 23-year-old Spaniard lived up to his reputation as a fighter but Davydenko never gave up and came out on top."I had to fight for every ball," said the Russian. "He's better than me from the baseline so it was real tough."