French tennis player Arthur Fils saved four match points on Thursday to reach his first Masters 1000 semi-final with a three-set win.
Fils, seeded 28, beat the 22nd seed Tommy Paul 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 after 2 hours 49 minutes.
In the race to seven points in the final-set tiebreak, Paul surged into a 6-2 lead.
But Fils reeled off six successive points to claim the tiebreak 8-6 and secure a place in the last four at one of the nine most prestigious tournaments on the ATP tour after the Grand Slams in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York.
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“It was a dog fight and I never back down from a fight,” said Fils who spent six months last year recovering from a back injury.
“Even if I lose, it's OK, I just fought the best that I could. That's the best result I've had in my life so far.”
On Friday, the 21-year-old will face Jiri Lehecka.
The 21st seed from the Czech Republic dispatched the Spaniard Martin Landaluce in straight sets.
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In the women’s event in Miami, defending champion and world number one Aryna Sabalenka moved into the semi-finals with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Hailey Baptiste of the United States.
Sabalenka took 80 minutes to beat the 24-year-old, who was playing in her first quarter-final at a WTA 1000 event.
“She really pushed me,” Sabalenka said. “The rhythm, the heaviness of her shots is incredible. I'm super happy that I was able to hold the pressure and to get the win.”
Sabalenka will face third seed Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals after she came from a set down to beat Jessica Pegula of the United States 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
“Jessica started playing well, and I was rushing a bit and frustrated,” Rybakina said. “But I'm happy that I managed to bounce back and turn it around in the second set.”
