MARRAKECH, Morocco (Reuters) - Frenchman Alexandre Muller upset top seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Grand Prix Hassan II on Friday in Marrakech, Morocco.
Muller won 35 of 48 first-service points (72.9 percent) and will face Russia’s Pavel Kotov in the semifinals. Kotov outlasted Australian Christopher O’Connell 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (3) in two hours and 53 minutes.
Great Britain’s Daniel Evans, the No 2 seed, is the only seeded player left standing after he eased past Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori 6-3, 7-5. In the semis Evans will meet Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena, who toppled Dutch fourth seed Tallon Griekspoor 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.
No 1 seed Casper Ruud of Norway needed just 78 minutes to dispatch Argentine fifth seed Sebastian Baez 6-3, 6-0 in the quarterfinals in Estoril, Portugal.
Ruud’s semifinal opponent will be France’s Quentin Halys, who ended former world No 3 Dominic Thiem’s run by beating the Austrian 6-1, 6-4.
The other semifinal will pit No. 6 seed Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia against Italy’s Marco Cecchinato. Kecmanovic beat Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles 7-5, 6-2, while Cecchinato upset Spanish No. 3 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-5, 7-6 (5).