Andreas Seppi: Edged out Ricardas Berankis in tie-bresk
Fifth-seed Andreas Seppi overcame a sluggish start to claim a three-set win over Ricardas Berankis in the quarter-finals of the Zagreb Indoors.
The Italian, who ousted Roger Federer at the Australian Open, battled back from a 4-1 deficit in the deciding tie-break to complete a 3-6 6-2 7-6 (8-6) win.
Seppi let the opening set slip away and also failed to close out the match while serving at 6-5 up, but claimed five points in a row to seize control of the tie-break.
"I was 4-1 down in the tie-breaker, after I served for the match, so it was a rather difficult situation," said Seppi. "He was actually playing very good from the moment I broke for 6-5; he hit four-five winners, and I couldn't do anything. I am a bit lucky to be through".
He was joined in the semi-finals by third-seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who finally ended the resistance of Viktor Troicki of Serbia with a 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 win.
The Spaniard cruised through the first set and led 4-1 in the second, but Troicki rallied to level the match and stubbornly held on until he was broken at 5-6.
Marcos Baghdatis eliminated another seed as he progressed following a 3-6 6-3 6-4 win over Russian Mikhail Youzhny.
The Cypriot, who toppled the top-ranked Ivo Karlovic in the second round, powered past the sixth seed after dropping the first set.
Spanish eighth-seed Marcel Granollers took the last semi-final spot, defeating Dutchman Igor Sijsling 6-4 2-6 6-4.