World number seven Tomas Berdych beat Serb Viktor Troicki 7-6 6-1 in the Halle Open grasscourt quarter-finals on Friday while holder Lleyton Hewitt was knocked out by unseeded German Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Czech Berdych, last year's Wimbledon runner-up and the champion here in 2007, was made to work hard in the first set before he upped his game in the second to race 4-1 up.
Second seed Berdych then squandered three match points before sealing victory at the fourth attempt by whipping a crosscourt forehand beyond the reach of world number 12 Troicki at the Wimbledon warmup event.
He next plays unseeded German Philipp Petzschner who ended Canadian Milos Raonic's good run with a 6-3 6-7 6-3 win.
Former world number one Hewitt had no answer to Kohlschreiber's powerful serve and groundstrokes and was beaten in straight sets.
Kohlschreiber, who fired 14 aces to sink the Australian 7-6 6-3 in 90 minutes, next meets Frenchman Gael Monfils, the world number eight, who beat local favourite Florian Mayer 6-4 6-4.
"I played an outstanding game and could do nothing wrong today," Kohlschreiber told reporters.
{{/usCountry}}"I played an outstanding game and could do nothing wrong today," Kohlschreiber told reporters.
{{/usCountry}}"This match certainly made me feel good."