Almagro Saves 3 MPs In Chennai; Wawrinka Ousted

© AFP/Getty ImagesMilos Raonic hit 15 aces in his Chennai quarter-final win over Dudi Sela Friday.

No. 2 seed Nicolas Almagro was pushed to the brink of defeat by Yuichi Sugita in the quarter-finals of the Aircel Chennai Open Friday, eventually topping the Japanese qualifier 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-4.

Sugita held three match points in the second set tie-break, at 6-4, 6-5 and 8-7, before Almagro turned the match around. The World No. 10 built a 5-1 lead in the final set, but the 235th-ranked Sugita kept fighting, winning three straight games. Almagro was forced to save multiple break points in the final game, holding off Sugita to take the encounter in two hours and 44 minutes.

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The Spaniard will meet Milos Raonic in the semi-finals, after the No. 4 seed advanced with a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory over Dudi Sela. The Canadian fired 15 aces and saved all three break points he faced to claim the win in one hour and 30 minutes. "I got all of the things I needed to get done pretty well, and I managed to win," Raonic told ATPWorldTour.com. "I'll be looking to work on a few things and improve in my next match."

The 21 year old, ranked No. 31 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, was voted the 2011 ATP Newcomer of the Year last year after winning his first career title at the SAP Open (d. Verdasco) in San Jose, reaching the fourth round at the Australian Open, and peaking in the South African Airways ATP Rankings at No. 25.

Japan’s Go Soeda ousted defending champion Stanislas Wawrinka, defeating the third seed 6-4, 6-4. In a match that saw eight breaks of serve, World No. 120 Soeda converted five of his opportunities against Wawrinka to pull off the quarter-final upset in one hour and 43 minutes.

Soeda will look to reach his first ATP World Tour Final when he faces top seed Janko Tipsarevic in the semi-finals. The Serbian was a late evening winner over David Goffin, ending the Belgian wild card's run with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win. Tipsarevic won 92 per cent of his first serve points in the final set to seal the victory in two hours and three minutes.