Santiago: Italy's Fabio Fognini dumped Brazilian holder Thomaz Bellucci out of the Santiago claycourt tournament on Friday, winning their quarter-final 1-6 6-2 7-6.
Fourth-seeded Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela was also eliminated, losing to Colombia's Santiago Giraldo 6-4 6-3. World number 56 Fognini, who recovered from 4-0 down in the third set and won the tiebreak 7-0, faces Spaniard Tommy Robredo.
The 40th-ranked Robredo cruised past Argentine Maximo Gonzalez 6-3 6-1 in little more than an hour dropping only five points on his first serve. Giraldo, who reached the Auckland semi-finals, faces Italy's Potito Starace, now the highest seed remaining in the tournament.
Starace, a Sydney quarter-finalist, had his work cut out for a 6-7 6-3 7-6 win over Argentine Horacio Zeballos, conqueror of top seed David Nalbandian on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Surviving seeds Kevin Anderson and Adrian Mannarino showed no mercy Friday as they cruised into the South African Open semi-finals.
South African Anderson outclassed Slovak Karol Beck 6-3, 6-1 after Frenchman Mannarino ended the giantkilling run of Canadian Frank Dancevic with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph.
Izak van der Merwe kept alive hopes of an all-South Africa final in the ATP World Tour event at Montecasino entertainment centre north of Johannesburg by winning the opening quarter-final 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 against German Simon Greul.
India Davis Cup star Somdev Devvarman — the sole Asian to make the last eight — got his act together late in the duel to overcome Rik de Voest of South Africa 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1. Anderson, a 2.3-metre "skyscraper" seeded fourth and the highest ranked semi-finalist at 59, faces sixth seed Mannarino, eight places behind on the world rankings. The other place in today's final rests between Van der Merwe, 170 on the world listings, and reigning Commonwealth Games and Asian Games singles champion Devvarman, who is 60 places higher.
At stake is a $76,500 (Dh280,755) first prize and 250 ATP points and history is sure to be created whoever makes the victory speech as none of the last four have won a World Tour title.
Jet-propelled serves whistling through the air 1800 metres above sea level once again proved a major factor with the form of top South African Anderson particularly impressive.
RESULTS
Santiago International
Men's singles quarter-finals: 6-Tommy Robredo (Spain) beat Maximo Gonzalez (Argentina) 6-3 6-1; 5-Potito Starace (Italy) beat Horacio Zeballos (Argentina) 6-7(9) 6-3 7-6(2); 7-Fabio Fognini (Italy) beat 3-Thomaz Bellucci (Brazil) 1-6 6-2 7-6(0); 8-Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) beat 4-Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina) 6-4 6-3
Johannesburg Open
Men's quarter-finals: 4-Kevin Anderson (South Africa) beat Karol Beck (Slovakia) 6-3 6-1; 6-Adrian Mannarino (France) beat Frank Dancevic (Canada) 6-3 6-2; Somdev Devvarman (India) beat Rik De Voest (South Africa) 3-6 7-6(5) 6-1; Izak Van der Merwe (South Africa) beat Simon Greul (Germany) 7-6(5) 6-2