Friday 15 August 2014 22:49, UK
Julien Benneteau produced a stunning comeback to beat Stanislas Wawrinka 1-6 6-1 6-2 and reach the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Masters.
Australian Open champion Wawrinka raced through the first set but then suddenly found himself completely outgunned as his French opponent won 12 of the last 15 games.
Outsider Benneteau eventually toppled the tournament’s third seed in an hour and 20 minutes. Wawrinka made a total of 40 unforced errors during the defeat.
The win meant that the 32-year-old progresses to the last four of a Masters 1000 event for the first time in his career. He reached the quarter-finals at Cincinnati in 2009 and Indian Wells earlier this year.
He will face either David Ferrer for a place in the final after the veteran Spaniard battled his way past compatriot Tommy Robredo 6-4 3-6 6-3.
On the other side of the draw, Milos Raonic breezed into the semi-finals thanks to a crushing 6-1 6-0 victory over Fabio Fognini.
The Canadian dropped just four points on his first serve and converted all four break-point chances he created in the course of a 57-minute thrashing. Raonic will play either Andy Murray or Roger Federer in the last four.
