World number two Carlos Alcaraz will face compatriot Bernabe Zapata Miralles, who put out fifth seed Francisco Cerundolo for a place in the championship match at the Argentina Open on Saturday.
The other semifinal will feature second seed Cameron Norrie against Peruvian qualifier Juan Pablo Varillas who shocked third seed Lorenzo Musetti to reach the last four on Tour for the first time in his career.
World No. 12 Norrie and qualifier Varillas will meet one another for the first time at tour-level on Saturday, opening play in Buenos Aires.
The Peruvian player, currently ranked at World No. 101, has been the big surprise of the tournament, advancing to his maiden ATP tour semifinal without dropping a set, stunning Dominic Thiem and Italian Musetti en route to Saturday’s matchup.
On Friday, the 27-year-old prevailed over the World No. 20 with a 6-4, 6-4 victory. Without anything to lose, the Lima-born player will next face 2021 BNP Paribas Open champion Norrie, seeking to book his ticket into the ATP 250 final.
Meanwhile, the No. 1 Briton secured his spot after coming back from a set down to oust local Tomas Etcheverry 5-7, 6-0, 6-3, moving into a fifth career semifinal on clay.
In his on-court interview, the 4-time ATP titlist commented: “I knew it was going to be difficult; he came out and played really well.”
The match got disrupted by the rain, but once play resumed, the British player dominated the encounter, dictating play from the baseline.
Assessing the clash with Etcheverry, he added: “He played a really good first set and served well. I came out really strong after the rain delay and again after the second rain delay. I managed to scrape through in a pretty difficult match.”
Former world number one, Alcaraz, surged from his quarterfinal clash against Serbian Dusan Lajovic victorious with a straight-set win after one hour and 34 minutes, reaching the last four in his first tournament since November.
After the encounter, the U.S. Open champion outlined: “I played really, really well from the beginning until the last ball, the last point.”
“I knew that it was going to be really, really difficult. Dusan is playing great on clay, [he is] a great player, a really tough one.”
In his third match of the year, he will face countryman Zapata Miralles at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club.
The 19-year-old leads his opponent in their series 1-0, a win recorded in Roland Garros back in 2021.
On Friday night, World No. 74 outlasted home favorite Cerundolo 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3 after two hours and 33 minutes.
A solid performance saw the Valencia native adding constant pressure on his adversary, forcing the World No. 30 to miss crucial opportunities.
In the last set, the Spaniard went the distance saving all five breakpoints he faced, closing out the set 6-3 and the match.
His run of form on Argentine soil has led the 26-year-old to contest his first tour-level semifinal, aiming to upset Alcaraz on Saturday.
Throughout his campaign at the Argentina Open, he took down compatriot Pedro Martinez, fourth seed Diego Schwartzman, and Cerundolo.
Juan Carlos Ferrero’s pupil may not have reached his best level yet, but his game improves with every match he plays.