In a re-match of 2012 BMW final, Marin Cilic avenged his defeat to Mikhail Youzhny as he defeated the Russian 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 in the semi-finals of this year edition.

"We always have tough matches. I would say the level of tennis was high," said Cilic."In the second set, Misha was playing unbelievable. He saved a match point with an amazing backhand down the line."

He added " What I was happy about today was that I kept my level going. Even though I lost my serve at the beginning of the third set, I got the momentum back and I think that was really crucial."

Cilic next faces localite Tommy Haas, who scored a 6-1, 7-6(3) victory over eighth-seeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.

Second seeded Feliciano Lopez dispatched fifth seeded Bernard Tomic 6-4, 6-2 to set up next round clash with Philipp Kohlschreiber, who defeated qualifier Marinko Matosevic 6-0, 7-6(5).