Holder James Blake survived his first serious test at the Stockholm Open, beating sixth seed Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 on Friday to reach the semi-finals.
The American, who knocked out Rochus in the semis here last year, finished the match with an ace as he set up a meeting with Swedish hope Robin Soderling.
"He was tough last year and I knew it was going to be tough today," said world number eight Blake after slamming 16 aces.
"I served well enough and got out of tricky situations. Sometimes that happens when you have confidence. I remember last year when I played him here I had a lot of aces too," the second seed told reporters.
Blake is chasing his fifth title of the year.
The 22-year-old Soderling, runner-up in 2003, upset Czech third seed Tomas Berdych 6-2, 6-3.
"I've played well in all three of my matches here but this one was the best," said Soderling. "He (Berdych) has a game that suits me."
The in-form Swede has yet to drop a set in the tournament. With home support, he could be a real threat to the American in their first career meeting.
Soderling said: "He will be a tough opponent. He really attacks the ball and plays fast. Hopefully he won't against me if I maintain the strength and depth of my shots."
BIG SERVERS
The powerful baseliner was joined in the last four by countryman Joachim Johansson, who needed almost three hours to oust Belgian Kristof Vliegen 6-7, 7-6, 7-6.
In a battle of big servers which produced 25 aces each, Johansson saved three match points at 6-5 in the deciding set.
The towering Swede saved one with a gutsy second serve ace before taking the match into a third tiebreak where he squandered four match points before clinching victory with a well-placed lob.
The 24-year-old Johansson, who ousted world number two Rafael Nadal in the second round, was ninth in the rankings early last year but is now 690th after a lay-off caused by a shoulder injury.
"The shoulder is holding up, I'm not feeling anything, but my body is getting a little worn," said Johansson.
He next faces fifth-seeded Finn Jarkko Nieminen, who put out Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 7-5.
Nieminen took advantage of Lopez nerves at 5-5 in the second set after a double fault by the Spaniard had given him a break point.
