(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Spanish counterpuncher Roberto Bautista Agut admitted before the start of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships that the absence of top stars like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic had given players like him a golden chance to go deep into the tournament.
When Bautista Agut entered the centre court on Thursday afternoon to take on the dangerous Croat Borna Coric in the last-eight clash, the pressure was on him.
He was the third seed who hadn't done anything remarkable this year since the unexpected victory over Juan Martin del Potro, the giant Argentine, in the Auckland final in January.
A straight-set first round defeat to compatriot Fernando Verdasco at the Australian Open was followed by another straight set defeat to Frenchman Julien Benneteau in the second round at the indoor event in Marseille.
So the pressure was well and truly on Bautista Agut, who won the eighth career title in Auckland, when he shook hands with the 21-year-old Coric before their last-eight battle in Dubai - a tournament where he had never gone past the quarterfinal stage.
It became more complicated for the 29-year-old Bautista Agut when he was broken by Coric in the third game of the first set.
But the Spaniard fought back in stunning fashion, breaking the Croat in the eighth game, dictating the play from the back of the court and winning the big moments in the tie-break before completing a highly impressive 7-6 (7/4) 6-4 win to enter the Dubai semifinals for the first time in his career.
Second seeded Frenchman Lucas Pouille needed three sets to beat Yuichi Sugita of Japan to enter the semifinals.
Pouille came back after losing the first to beat Japanese eighth seed Sugita 3-6 6-3 6-2 in the third singles quarterfinal of the day.
Earlier, Tunisian wild card Malek Jaziri continued his dream run by beating Greek youngster Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 3-6 6-3 to set up a quarterfinal clash with Roberto Bautista Agut.
Agut, the third seeded Spaniard had earlier defeated Croatian Borna Coric, a Dubai semifinalist in 2015, in straight sets 7-6 (7/4) in the first quarterfinal.
"Well, I am happy, no? I think I played a very good tennis match," the world number 23 told reporters after his victory on Thursday.
"It was not easy to beat Borna. He's very solid. He was playing very good serves. He was playing very aggressive.
"So, I'm happy because it's my best match of the tournament," he added.
This was the fifth win for Bautista Agut in six matches against Coric.
But Coric, the 2015 Dubai semifinalist, came into Thursday's quarterfinal with impressive wins over two Frenchmen - Richard Gasquet in the first round and Benoit Paire in the second round.
Bautista Agut knew he needed to play his best tennis against Coric on Thursday.
"I was very solid today. I think I didn't rest throughout the match. I played all the points, every point. I was very focused during all the match, trying to hit, to manage the match a little bit more than him, to put him under pressure, to make him feel a little bit exhausted. I was trying to play with a lot of rhythm," Bautista Agut said.
The Spaniard said he is now ready for the semifinals.
"Well, both (Malek Jaziri and Stefanos Tsitsipas) are playing very well, no, if they are in quarterfinal," he said.
"Of course, they had really good wins before playing this match. Well, now I have time to watch the match, to rest and enjoy the win. I will have time to prepare for the next match."
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