A day after pulling off a boilover, unseeded Frenchman Jeremy Chardy almost fell victim to one himself before digging deep to become the first man into the Brisbane International semi-finals.
World No.40 Chardy was the overwhelming favourite in his quarter-final with unheralded Japanese qualifier Yasutaka Uchiyama after abruptly ending eighth-seeded Australian Nick Kyrgios' title defence.
But world No.180 Uchiyama proved to be no pushover, testing the 31-year-old until the end before Chardy triumphed 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-4) in a clash lasting more than two hours.
And there's no respite in sight for former Australian Open quarter-finalist Chardy.
He will play the winner of the quarter-final clash between second seed and ex-US Open finalist Kei Nishikori of Japan and former Brisbane champion Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria.
Chardy reached his second Brisbane semi-final and first since 2014, ending Uchiyama's giant-killing run.
After fighting his way through qualifying, Uchiyama, 26, upset third-seeded Briton - world No.14 Kyle Edmund - in straight sets in the second round.
