Home favourites Ivo Karlovic and Ivan Dodig both bowed out of the Zagreb Indoors at the quarter-final stage on Friday night.
Russian third seed Mikhail Youzhny needed two hours and 42 minutes to dispatch Karlovic in a predictably big-serving epic, with Karlovic's 22 aces not enough to spare him a painful 7-6 (12-10) 3-6 7-6 (8-6) defeat.
Youzhny will face Germany's Michael Berrer in the last four after the world number 105 moved closer to reaching his third straight final at the tournament by beating qualifier Jurgen Melzer 5-7 6- 4 6-4.
Croatia's last hope Dodig was beaten 6-4 7-5 by sixth seed Marcos Baghdatis, who will play Slovakian Lukas Lacko in the semi-finals. Lacko beat Dutch seventh seed Robin Haase 6-4 6-4.
