Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga brought the injury-comeback week for Roger Federer to a screeching halt as the eighth seed rallied past the Swiss 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Federer, out for more than two months after a knee operation, did not help his cause with a run of careless errors to end the two-hour battle, after easing through his first two matches of the week.
Tsonga will play a semi-final against the winner from 13th seed Gael Monfils and Spain's Marcel Granollers.
Andy Murray sauntered into the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters with a surprisingly one-sided 6-2, 6-0 victory over an off-colour Milos Raonic. On the other hand, Rafael Nadal eased past Stan Wawrinka in straight sets to set up a mouth-watering Monte Carlo Masters semi-final clash with Andy Murray.
Having won the last of his eight-consecutive titles in Monaco four years ago, Nadal is yet to lose a set this week and had few concerns as Wawrinka was beaten 6-1, 6-4.
The 'King of Clay' had to live up to that reputation as Wawrinka pushed him close in the second set, but — having recovered from a defeat the last time they met on dirt courts — Nadal looks well-placed to also get revenge on Murray, who won the pair's previous meeting on clay in Madrid last year.
Wawrinka made 15 unforced errors as the first set quickly escaped his grasp, the French Open champion demolishing his racket before going 4-1 down, before complaining at crowd noises as he half-heartedly wilted.
More poor choices from Wawrinka, allowing Nadal to score a reflex winner at the net with the pass shot wide open, seemed to put a dominant scoreline in prospect and, though he broke back immediately, a ninth game which saw the Swiss' usually reliable backhand falter opened things up for Nadal.
A serial winner on these Monaco courts, two shows of brutish power from Nadal left Wawrinka helpless and moved the former's head-to-head record against his opponent to 15-3.
Nadal now boasts a 56-4 record in the tournament ahead of his meeting with Murray, who will be well-rested after thrashing a half-paced Milos Raonic 6-2, 6-0 earlier in the day.
Having received treatment on his right thigh in a third-round victory over Damir Dzumhur, Raonic appeared well off the pace on Friday and was ruthlessly punished.
Second seed Murray was taken to deuce from 40-0 in the first game of the match, but dominated proceedings thereafter to set up a last-four tie with either Rafael Nadal or Stan Wawrinka.
Murray's success was based on a stunning neutralisation of Raonic's serve, generally his biggest weapon. The Canadian did not manage a single ace and was continually attacked when he failed to land his first serve.
"The two most important shots in tennis, I did really well today," Murray told Sky Sports.
"I thought I served really well after the first game of the match and my return was very good, I was getting a good read on the [Raonic] serve."
If the first set proved one-sided, Murray breaking in the fourth and eighth games, the remainder of the match was certainly an ordeal for Raonic, who was simply unable to match his opponent's aggression and energy.
Both men had come through demanding three-set matches to reach the last eight, but this encounter was brought to an end in 66 minutes, with Raonic cutting a frustrated figure.
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